


Don't touch

by Motianz



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Daemon Touching, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fighting Kink, Found Family, Friendship, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Violence, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, but the enemies is one sided lol, daemons AU, minor zhanyi, she li fans im sorry, so tags will be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29038128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Motianz/pseuds/Motianz
Summary: For almost two years Mo guan shan has been dealing with the consequences of owing his life to She Li, with no friends beyond his own daemon his life has been the closest to hell it'd ever been. But when his and He Tians paths one day cross, and the other boy offers him a deal Mo finds out that maybe freedom isn't as far away as he thought. With him by his side, Mo guan shan rediscover the pleasures of life, friendship and well... other things...
Relationships: He Tian/Mo Guanshan (19 Days)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 92





	1. Lucky

**Author's Note:**

> You don't have to read the books to understand this Au, but here's a small explanation: Daemons are basically a human's soul outside their body, they're shapeshifters but "settle" during puberty. They're VERY sensitive to human touch (not their owners) so it's taboo to touch a daemon that's not yours, especially without consent and/or in a public place. Touching someone's daemon can be a sexual thing but it can also be hurtful or just a show of (extreme) closeness. Also I don't have anyone to proofread this, so if the pacing feels a bit wonky sorry lol

Mo guan shan wondered how long it’d been since he’d woken up without knowing the day was going to be shitty. His daemon was watching him impatiently, by now the alarm had gone off three times already and all he had done about it was turn around and ignore it. Not really a good long-term plan.

\- We’re gonna be late for school.  
\- So what?! I can’t… Fuck… I don’t want to go.  
\- …  
\- I’ll drop out, if I get a second job I can… I can start to become somebody, I’ll help with the rent and the bills, and in a few years everything’s gonna be fine again  
\- We both know it’s not that easy. Stop complaining and get. Up. 

He threw the covers onto the floor and sent her an annoyed look. She was right of course, he was pointlessly complaining, to drop out he’d need an actual excuse for his mother. She was well into her forties and her dreams for him had not come close to dying off, it wasn’t like they actually weighted or bothered him, it was just that college, in his head, was as impossible as breathing underwater right now.  
Mo looked around, with the covers on the floor the room looked even smaller, even though his chest was rising and falling the stale air made him feel suffocated and the sticky feeling of his sweat between the bed and his body just made everything worse. His daemon Prya, taking pity on him, brought his uniform to his chest and gave it a light bump with her head. 

\- It’ll be fine, just a little bit more and our debt is paid. We can do this, with our teeth and nails, and when it’s finally over we’ll spit in his face and never see him again.  
\- That just sounds like hopeful thinking.  
\- Well at least one of us has to think.  
\- Fuck off.

She chuckled, and Mo felt like getting up might not be that hard after all, he’d need to hurry up if he actually intended on entering the school. The knowledge that the other boy would be there waiting for him made his limbs heavy, he did his best to wash the anxiety off his face in the bathroom but the deep shadows beneath his eyes made it obvious how much of the night he’d spent awake, Prya stayed by his feet, licking one of her paws.  
As hopeful as her words had been they were still half true, if he paid off his debt his life would probably be a lot better, the only problem was that he’d get expelled or beat half to death before that ever happened, so for now all he could truly do was wake up and dread school. Definitely not what he’d hoped for when he was younger.  
When Mo Guan Shan came into the kitchen his mother was already up and dressed, her daemon, a red panda already on the older side, was on top of the table playing with an apple. 

\- Good morning darling, I’m happy you woke up, thought I’d have to drag you out again.  
\- Good morning, sorry I… overslept  
\- No reason to apologize guan shan, common, let's eat together I still have a few minutes before work

Prya bumped her head into Feng’s shoulder, even in the rare times' Mo had fought with his mother their daemons had always been close, always touching and talking, he guessed that was a pretty good sign between mother and son. The boy looked up at her, she was still young but by now the extra shifts had taken a visible toll on her face and hands, with gold-brown eyes framed by deep shadows, and fingers filled with calluses. He was lucky, after his dad… had to go away, she had still found a way to raise Mo Guan Shan in the most comfortable and normal way possible, even giving him a small party when Prya had finally settled, “Oh look at that! Her hair’s the same color as yours! You’re ginger through and through”. She’d given him everything she could, and if he was being honest she was by far the best thing in his life.

\- You know you don’t have to go to school if you don’t want to  
\- What? 

The Panda took the words right out of Mo Guan Shan’s mouth

\- Feng shush, It’s just… you’ve been looking… I want you to be happy, above all else, and if school is getting in the way of that you can take a break. Even work, I can take a few extra shifts at my job and you can take some time to think, and take care of-  
\- No. - his voice had come out a lot rougher than he meant it to, but he felt so fucking selfish - sorry, I mean, thank you but I’m ok, I swear, the classes have just gotten a little harder this year so I’m having to play catch up, but you don’t have to worry.  
\- Are you sure honey? If there’s anything bothering you it’s ok to tell me you know? I’ll always help you 

Funny enough that was the problem, not only because he did not, in any circumstance, wanted to trouble her, but also because a small part of his brain always cringed at the thought of needing help. No, he could do it on his own, tooth and nail he had no need for pity.

\- I’m sure mom, I just need to spend a little more time reading.  
\- Yes, I’ll force him to study and he’ll be top of the class.

Mo’s mother smiled.

\- Thank you Prya, I’m sure a little encouragement will help. - She looked at the clock on the wall and sighed - If you’re sure you don’t need my help I believe you, I have to go now but finish your food ok? Stay safe.  
\- You too mom, don’t strain yourself too much

The apartment was quiet without her company.

\- Top of the class?  
\- You started it, with the whole study talk.  
\- Yeah I meant to study not become some academic genius.  
\- Well now you can be both! - Mo guan shan glared at her - fine sorry, I wanted her to smile so I got a little carried away. 

He huffed hoping his mom had heard the lie, nowadays he barely felt motivated to study so becoming top of the class was completely out of the question. Mo looked at the door, when he got up he’d lock the door, and stuff himself in a train filled to the brim with distracted men and women going to work, their breaths would fog the air in Mo’s lungs, and choke him until his stop came up. His heart sped up, he would be there, waiting for Mo guan shan with those gold eyes and ice-cold fingers.  
When the panic started to creep up his throat and get a hold of his mind Prya started to hum lightly. They’d learned that trick from his mom, all he had to do was focus on the melody, force himself to think about every tone change, every movement of his tongue and throat, it didn’t always work of course, but it did slow down his thoughts. “One breath at a time, in-out, up-down, just move”. He allowed his body to go into automatic, “grab the keys on the table, open the door and just put one foot in front of the other”.  
He kept his eyes on Prya while they walked, in all truthness Mo wasn’t scared anymore, but the small dose of panic from before had taken what little energy he had, and looking at his daemon distracted him enough to keep his movements automatic. Mo guan shan hated it when she settled, if only she had been some kind of dog, or bird, companies loved hiring people with those, even if nowadays considering daemons in job interviews was prohibited, those people still got some advantage. He didn't have a lot of hopes for a great job in his future, but in the small chance that he actually managed to get his own restaurant a small daemon would’ve been great. Instead she had settled as a caracal, big enough for her head to reach his knees, his mom had found it funny, “of course it would be some kind of cat”. He didn’t hate Prya of course, her claws were big and her growl more than enough to make any nosy onlookers back off, but it would be nice if she were smaller. They fit together, when with other people their levels of annoyed aggression were always in sync.

The trains had special compartments for daemons, something necessary to avoid humans touching daemons that weren’t theirs. Mo had heard about a girl with a bear for a daemon once, he guessed that compared to her he was pretty lucky, Prya wasn’t small, but her flexibility almost completely made up for that. In big cities, unless they were very rich, it was rare to find people with big daemons, in his school the biggest one was a deer around one meter high and even that was a rarity. That guy was definitely not getting a traditional job with those antlers getting in the way of everything. There probably was someone out there with a moose for a daemon… while getting off the cramped train Mo sent a small prayer for that person, they probably had to spend quite a lot of money on big enough doors. He tried to keep his thoughts as occupied as possible when he arrived at the school.

\- Look he’s there! Oh he's so handsome… is my hair ok? Let’s go talk to him!  
\- Yes, yes, what about mine? I made lunch for him today. Do you think he’ll like it?  
\- Of cour-

After the initial startle Mo tuned out the intruding voices, a boy and a girl that had dodged him after Prya growled at them. He looked up, “of course” they were walking towards the school’s golden boy, He Tian stood above most people, his coal-like hair shining just as much as his smile, “what a fake”. People's fascination with him wasn’t exactly unjustified, he was on the student council, and held grades high enough to have never left the schools top five, not only that, but the boy didn’t even have the decency of being only good at academics, it was rare for people not to compete to have him on their team.  
He tian was surrounded by several of his groupies, all smiling excitedly while he idly talked, one of the boys, with hair the same color as a peanut even had his arm around He Tian’s shoulders. Prya did not need to speak for him to know what she was thinking, “they all look like lap dogs, desperately trying to get their owner's attention”. Mo looked at him for a second longer and to his surprise, he looked back. It was just for a few seconds, but even so Mo couldn’t help glaring at him, as if just his eyes could express the disdain he felt towards the other boy, which on his part, didn’t seem to care at all. He hadn’t acknowledged Mo's existence in more than a year, there wasn’t really a reason to do it now.

\- Here you are mo… I thought you were going to leave me alone today, and I’d have to go all the way to your house

Mo guan shan froze, a cold wave of fear running from his throat to the center of his belly, he’d been so entranced on hating He Tian that She Li’s presence at his side had gone unnoticed. “A whole night fea… being bothered by it and when it happens I don’t even notice it” despite the veiled threat of going to his house, Mo almost felt like laughing. 

\- What the fuck do you want? - Priya let out the smallest of growls, She Li looked at her like she’d just made the most boring sound in the world.  
\- Why so aggressive Mo guan shan? Growl around me like that again and we both know the consequences won’t be pretty... - Mo felt his skin prickle  
\- ... Again, what do you want?  
-That’s better, you’re my lackey remember? It’s your fault for owing me, I’m just finding ways for you to repay it

“One day I’ll blow your fucking head in” It’s what he’d like to say, but by now he knew better, the thought of raising his hand at She Li just made his body nauseated with memories of past fights. For some reason he thought about the people who surrounded He Tian, “Am I like them? Shaping myself for someone and hoping for a positive outcome?” no, at least he had the dignity to not do that voluntarily. Mo looked at his daemon, “just a little more and we’ll be free”.

\- What do you want me to do?  
\- It’s an easy job, just- The bell ringed, if they weren’t quick they’d be locked outside of class, for a second he wasn’t sure if She Li would actually care about it - I guess that’s us huh… it’s fine, you’re on clean up duty right? We’ll talk to you then...

When he walked away Mo realized he wasn’t talking just about him and his daemon, but about three other boys that followed him. He stared at them for a moment, being honest besides She Li himself the only one that actually worried Mo guan shan was the golden monkey on his shoulder, a “golden snub nosed monkey” it had taken him some time to find the exact species, but he’d known for quite a while how it felt to have his daemon held down by those small deformed hands. It wasn’t rare to be called by She Li like that, but walking towards his class still made him feel like a lamb walking into a wolf's mouth.

-

He wasn’t able to pay attention to a single class, which really didn’t bode well for Pryas promise that he’d be at the top of his class, but his thoughts were locked on the conversation that awaited him at the end of the day. As She Lis lackey he’d done quite a lot already, mostly serving as a mule and scapegoat, people wanted pills for “attention” and for fun, Mo delivered some of them, and sometimes people in She Lis group bit more than they could chew with the school, in those cases part (if not all) of the blame was put on Mo guan shan. Those cases were rare of course, otherwise his mom would’ve known something was up, but they were enough to make him cringe at the extra stress he was giving her.  
When the last bell went off he felt like vomiting, Prya was pressed against his leg, not a muscle moving. 

\- It’ll be fine, it’s the same as always there’s no reason to worry like this every single time.  
\- Easy to say asshat.... the snake probably just wants another pack of pills delivered.  
\- … yeah.  
\- ….  
\- We should end this.

The thought felt like heresy. Even though she had whispered it, Mo guan shan still looked around to make sure no one had heard it, she was right, but She Lis hold on him felt like one of a carnivorous plant, every time he moved it only got him more and more stuck. Mo knew, one day he’d end up dead and dissolved.  
She Li was already at the place where they usually met, he stood with a small hunch, hair as pale as his daemons face covering his eyes. Behind the boy stood three other people, one girl and two boys, Mo held no interest for them, and tightening his hold on the water bucket in his right hand he approached the four of them, Prya glued to his side.

\- You look so serious mo, how many times do we have to go through that face of yours?  
\- Just tell me what you want. And why these people are here.  
\- I like this side of yours, obedient and straightforward - The boy reached to give one of his earlobes a light tap, Mo must’ve been a terrible person in his past life to deserve She Li in this one  
\- ...Fuck you  
\- Now now, watch you mouth m-  
\- I mean it, fuck you. - since when had his heart been racing? What the hell was he saying? - I’m done, I've done more than enough for… f-for what happened, I’m not doing this forever.

She Li looked at him like a shark would look at a particularly annoying fish.

\- I’ll give you one chance to shut your mouth - Pryas hair was standing up, she had told him to end it but neither she nor Mo guan shan was expecting him to actually do it - now listen to the fu-  
\- No. P-put it through that thing you call a head before I decide to do it with my feet - He was shaking, adrenaline and nausea coursing through every muscle in his body, he wanted to run, and laugh, and punch someone all at the same time. 

The monkey - Huang - moved first, if he was She Li he would’ve kicked it away, but basic human decency still ruled most of his actions, so in the second Mo took hesitating the daemons owner had already reached him, holding his collar high and pushing him far back enough for his low back to hit the handrail behind them. Prya wasn’t in a much better situation either, the monkey had wasted no time in pinning her to the ground, if they were actual animals she would’ve ripped him to shreds, but as daemons just like Mo guan shan had never been able to overpower She Li, she had never been able to overpower Huang, teeth and nails sinking uselessly into the dirt beneath her.

\- Fine, I thought today we’d be able to talk like adults but apparently you need a reminder of how big a life debt actually is.

\- Don't fucking touch-

Mo guan shan knew it was coming, he fucking knew it, and by the hint of discomfort in the other lackey’s eyes they knew too but it was still a shock. Huang had dragged Prya close, and with one hand tightly holding Mo’s neck, She li stepped on her tail. The touch was light, not enough to actually hurt yet, but it was more than enough, his vision blurred, every nerve made over sensitive to the point that it felt like the wind was rubbing his skin raw. Everything was accentuated by the panic as he felt his entire nervous system try to deal with the invasion. He felt dizzy and disgusted, deafened by the thundering of his heart in his ears, Mo guan shan could still move but he did not dare to. If h-

\- SHIT

Shit? They all stopped for a second, confused She Li hurriedly took his foot off of Prya. The scream had come from under them, and when he turned his head to look Mo couldn’t believe his bad luck. There stood He Tian in all his conceited glory, looking back at a pitch-black wolf, big enough to reach his waist, and wet enough to be the victim of one fallen bucket of water.  
Mo guan shan had brought it in the hopes of making their meeting a little less suspicious, but the fates had lost their love for him a long time ago. And now here he was, having dropped it on He Tians daemon.


	2. Witness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bringing back that old Tianshan dynamic where they were assholes to each other for like, no reason.  
> Hope you guys enjoy it :)

Mo guan shan wasn’t bad at fighting, but since She Lis lackeys always just held him down while their boss gave him whatever punishment he deemed necessary, one could say Mo was a little bit rusty at it. So when He Tian's eyes met his he held no hopes of actually winning that situation. He looked furious, light grey eyes piercing Mo guan shan and fusing his feet to where they were. He Tian's anger did not feel like She Li’s, filled with boredom and twisted pleasure, no, his anger felt like that of a natural disaster, trampling on whoever was unlucky enough to be in front of it, uncaring of its consequences. He Tian looked at them like they were ants biting at his ankles, and Mo guan shan fucking hated him for it.

\- What the fuck are you doing?

As the boy lifted himself over the rail (which Mo couldn’t help but be a _little _amazed at) the wolf shook herself off and jumped to follow with just as much ease as her owner. They both stared at him, completely ignoring She Li’s hand slowly retreating.__

____

\- Again. What the fuck. Do you think. You’re doing?  
\- I… what?  
\- I apologize for our Mo, he’s so clumsy sometimes - As much as he hated him, the annoyed look He tian sent She Li still gave him some kind of warm satisfaction _“to this guy you’re just as much of a worm as I am”. _  
\- I didn’t ask you, I asked him. You can talk when it’s your turn.__

______ _ _

While he watched She Li’s hand fly towards the taller boy’s collar Mo guan shan wondered if he should just leave, let someone else take what would’ve been aimed at him. But the nausea from Prya being touched still hadn’t gone away, and as he looked to the side he realized the wolf was staring at him, not even bothering to glance at Huang. He Tian's knuckles were white as he held onto She Li’s wrist, glaring but not actually doing anything else.

______ _ _

\- Fine, I guess we got ourselves a bit heated - He let go of the collar and raised his hands with a clear “I’ll poison your water bottle” smile - Mo? Why don’t you take the golden boy to the infirmary to dry himself off huh? You do owe him at least that don’t you think? I’ll come to pick you up after.

______ _ _

As much as he did actually feel a little bad for throwing a bucket of water in the guy’s daemon, and taking him to the infirmary would be a very basic nicety to do, the message in She Li’s phrase was one he could not ignore, “The world is about giving and paying, now you owe him just like you owe me”. Mustering every inch of courage he’d gotten in the last few minutes Mo guan shan decided to stand the ground he’d started to take.

______ _ _

\- Fuck off.

______ _ _

No one was more surprised than him when He Tian smiled.

______ _ _

\- That’s great! But I’ll keep him in the infirmary for some time, his neck looks a little red don’t you think? So no need for you to come, let’s go now, don’t be stingy - He tian said, already wrapping his arm around Mo’s shoulders and dragging him away _“why the hell is this guy so strong??” _\- Let’s not see each other again ok She Li? You’re an eyesore.  
\- Do I know you!? Let Go! Fuck-__

____

______ _ _

____

Prya was making just as much of a fuss as he was while the wolf dragged her by the back of the neck. When they were finally far enough Mo and his daemon were allowed out of the iron holds, he immediately pushed He tian and tried to walk away. 

____

______ _ _

____

\- Hey come on, you just drenched my daemon on a very cold day, the least you could do is take me to dry off.  
… it’s not even that cold.

____

______ _ _

____

The other boy clearly took that as a yes and grinned. _“What an annoying shithead”. ___

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-

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Mo guan shan was impressed at how easy life was for He tian, if he came up to the infirmary dripping wet the nurse would probably yell at him and ignore whatever excuse he came up with, but all He tian had to do was give a shining smile and blurt out something about tripping for the nurse to accommodate him like he was the principal himself. Mo didn’t know why he hadn’t left yet, the boy and his wolf were already in the infirmary drying her off with a small towel, there wasn’t anything left to do, but a small idea had started to form into his mind, and staring at the pair made it easier to think about it.

______ _ _

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\- Excuse me but is there anything bigger than this? 

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

Mo hadn’t really thought about it but the wolf truly was gigantic, he had seen it before of course, and it was only expected that a wolf would be big, but they had never been this close, it had to be a bother to have a daemon that size… “good”. Beyond that she wasn’t too impressive, her fur was completely black, not a spot of dark brown or grey in it, and the only thing that broke that monochrome sea were her eyes, deep in honey-like yellow. 

______ _ _

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\- Oh I’m sorry dear this is all we have… wait here for a second, I’ll try to find something.

______ _ _

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As she hurried off the room Mo almost asked for some tea too, since she was so desperate to-

______ _ _

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\- Jesus she could at least pretend to hesitate 

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

Mo guan shan looked surprised at his daemon, it wasn’t that uncommon for daemons to talk to other humans, but Prya was very far from chatty when they had company. He tian didn’t seem to notice his reaction, just kept smiling and drying off his daemon with the already soaked hand towel.

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

\- She’s just being nice, you see when you’re nice to people they’re nice back.  
\- No one’s that nice to us.  
\- Well, it’s because little Mo there has a shit personality.  
\- Don’t fucking call me that, and you don’t know shit about me.  
\- See?~

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

Prya thumped her tail in the ground, He tian hadn’t exactly insulted her but she still found it a little insulting, they were definitely not close enough to joke like that. But the movement only made Mo guan shan remember She Li’s touch, he felt like hiding himself in a hole, the violating feeling still clear in his mind.

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

\- Are you okay?  
\- Shut up.  
\- I mean it, it seemed like you were in a pretty messy situation.  
\- And what the fuck do you have to do with it? I dropped water in you and that’s where our relations end.  
\- I know, you just looked like you needed help so...

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

Mo guan shan barely heard what he said next. Help? Who the hell did he think he was? He was fucking dealing with the fucking situation, he didn’t need help from a golden spoon fucker who had never known what hardship meant.

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

\- Listen you piece of arrogant shit, whatever I was is none of your business, you didn’t help me, or save me, at most you made a shitty situation even shittier. I owe you nothing. Fakes like you are lucky t-

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

He tian had been smiling before he started talking but his humor had clearly died now, his eyes went dark again, anger obvious as he walked towards Mo. The redhead wasn’t going to lie, he wanted to fight, there was something in the other boy that made him feel excited. He wanted to laugh and beat the shit out of him, leave He tian filled with scratches and bruises. The other walked close enough to force Mo guan shan to look up to meet his eyes, nearing their faces He tian held his chin with his left hand. And when he spoke, voice low and somber, Mo felt his heart speed up.

______ _ _

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______ _ _

\- Ok, if you insist on not owing anything to me - Mo stared at him with all the disdain he felt - … Here’s for dropping a bucket of water on Yue... 

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

He wasn’t prepared for the punch, it hit him in the very middle of his belly, strong enough to make him fold forwards, but the hand on his chin stayed still forcing him back up gasping. While the pain spread through his guts He tian felt solid under his hands, immovable. The wolf pressed Prya into the cement ground.

______ _ _

______ _ _

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\- F-fuck y-  
\- ...And here’s for me taking the snake off of you.

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

The second punch was just as strong as the first - if not stronger - but at least Mo was expecting this one. He tian released his chin and he fell, one hand on the ground and the other pressing his belly while his diaphragm desperately tried to form a full breath. Prya kept clawing and growling obscenities at the wolf. 

______ _ _

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\- GET THE FUCK OFF ME MUTT! I’ll rip your fucking hands off!  
\- Hey, I feel like we’re even here, now you one hundred percent owe me nothing.

______ _ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

Mo had his forehead on the floor, trying to cool the burning that was spreading from his belly, still too breathless to actually say “fuck you” he simply raised his hand and showed his middle finger to the other boy. The laugh that followed was so short and low he wasn’t even sure if it had even happened… but if it did, it had come from Yue.

______ _ _

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\- I’ll be going now, Yue’s dry enough… Oh I’m He tian by the way, it was nice to meet you Mo.

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-

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He tian must’ve told the nurse something because when she came back she gave a light tap on Mo guan shan’s shoulder and put a little spray bottle on his hand, “for the bruises on your legs''. When he left the infirmary his thoughts were the same as his daemon’s, _“Why is it that every aggressive fucker in this school feels the need to meet me”. _  
At the very least She Li wasn’t going to annoy him until tomorrow… unless he actually went to his house… no, He Tian had probably annoyed him enough to want some time away to reconsider the situation, especially with Mo’s decision to break away. He huffed _“Fuck I actually did it… I’m f...”. _  
No that was a dangerous way to think, She Li was obsessive, when he wanted something he got it, no matter how long it took or which means he used to get it, like the psycho rich boy he was, he probably still had weeks of struggles and half fights to actually consider himself snake free.____

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Mo guan shan felt on edge and angry, physically and well… he looked at Prya’s tail… mentally shitty. Huang She Li’s daemon, usually took care of her during fights (sometimes with the help of other daemons) holding her down or just hurting her enough to erase thoughts of running. But sometimes his owner felt like something “extra” was needed, a tap with his fingers, some pressure with his foot, they were always quick touches, just enough to make sure Mo knew he could, and if pushed further he’d do worse. To this day She Li had never _grabbed _or laid a heavy touch on Prya, but the fear of it happening was more than enough for him to feel cold fear course through him every time he saw the boy and his white-faced monkey. _“How the hell am I-” _____

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\- HAHA Xixi let’s g - As the blond-haired boy roughly bumped into him, Mo really couldn’t believe a person could have this much bad luck in a single day - oh oops.  
\- Jian Yi I told you to be careful. 

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Mo was in a bad mood, the blond boy was smaller and considerably skinny, his daemon, a small beagle also didn’t look too threatening, so as he straightened himself up Mo guan shan grabbed his collar, lifted him to his tiptoes, and punched his cheek. There wasn’t a lot to lose in letting off a little steam on them.

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\- Are you blind? Watch where you’re fucking going - “Jian Yi” eyes were wide in surprise, one hand pressing his face he’d clearly not expected the punch.

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The other boy grabbed Mo’s wrist with surprising strength, his face contorted with anger. His daemon was a spotted owl on top of his shoulders, and he seemed so protective over Jian Yi that Mo guan shan wondered if they were boyfriends. “Xixi” looked furious enough to return the punch, and the redhead almost felt excited about it, he wanted the hurt and the adrenaline that came with a fight but most of all he wanted victory.

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\- What’s happening there? Come here right now!

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Disappointment filled him as he heard his teacher’s voice, against She Li and his endless lackeys Mo held no chance, and against He Tian who looked down on them with no fear nor hesitation he probably also didn’t stand a chance, but against these two? He felt angry enough to be confident, but there wasn’t a lot of point in doing it now, detention felt worse than a bloody lip. So when he looked at the other boys they felt the connection only people confronted with an unwanted authority felt, he released the collar and all three of them ran.

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\- Xixi you were going to save me~  
\- Shut up and run dumbass!  
\- Haha you’re all red!

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Mo ran in the opposite direction of the other boys but he still heard that little exchange, Prya looked at him. 

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\- Gross.  
\- And in public…

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But Mo couldn’t help but think that if they were just friends, the dark blonde one had just risked getting beat up in a fight for Jian Yi. Was that what friendship was supposed to be? That ride or die type of loyalty and protectiveness? Mo guan shan had had friends before of course, in middle school quite a few actually, but his father’s… accident never made him the best option for people, and when he got into high school She Li had been the perfect friend repeller. Since it’d been so long since he was truly friends with someone he wasn’t sure what it’d feel like today, was he actually close to that buzz-cut boy from middle school or were they just kids together for convenience? 

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Mo was alone for around a year and a half by now, but for the first time he realized he actually felt lonely. As he got into the train his mind wandered to He tian. He was always surrounded by people, making enough fuss for even someone like Mo guan shan to notice it, was he happy? Were all those people fulfilling? _“I hope not, I hope that crazy fuckhead is as miserable as me” _. Friends entailed trust and at least some love, but how was he ever going to have that? Did he even want it? To be vulnerable in front of someone meant being weak in front of them. Jian yi had only gained that sort of protection from the other boy because he couldn’t deal with his aggressor by himself, Mo never wanted that, he never wanted to _need _someone. She li was only part of the reason he had no friends, if he really wanted it Mo knew he’d need to open up, and laugh, and depend… to be honest he wasn’t sure if he even could do that by now. Was He tian open to all those people? Did he trust and leaned on all of them? Mo guan shan really hated how easy everything seemed to come for him.____

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As the train got closer to his station he realized that passing the time by cursing at the other boy was surprisingly fun, so that’s what he and Prya did.

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\- He’s so fake, thinking he’s above everyone.  
\- People pretend he’s the golden boy but he’s always smoking and fighting, what a liar.  
\- I bet he cheats on every test.  
\- I bet he’s just like She Li.  
\- I bet he’s a daddy's boy who never knew what dedication felt like.  
\- I bet he just pays off the school to stay in the top five...

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-

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By the time they got into his apartment they were barely talking about He tian anymore, instead distracting themselves by hating some imaginary person that held all of Mo’s problems. Looking around he sighed in relief, his mom was coming home late tonight, so he’d have some time to find and hide all the bruises, “sorry I tripped'' wouldn't really work on neck bruises. Locking the front door he went to the bathroom mirror, it wasn’t as bad as he thought it’d be, only the tip of the fingers had left a mark, four purple bruises were forming and a fifth might still show up with some time… She Li usually hit where no one would see, it was at the very least annoying that he had gone for the neck this time, if his mother saw it’d be impossible to explain it away. She knew he got into fights, but more in the “oh sometimes boys disagree and fight” than in the “Mo gets targeted and beat up” sense. A choking bruise wouldn’t be as hard to explain as the time he came home with a suddenly pierced ear, but it’d be up there.

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His belly also had a wide bruise forming. As much of an asshole as He tian had been, it was still a relief to know he “paid his debt”, there was absolutely no way for He tian to hold what happened over him, a bucket of water for purple bruise. Staring at his belly he remembered the spray, and when he looked at the door he realized Prya had been faster, the small bottle already in her mouth. 

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\- “Apply on the affected area for a quick relief of pain and muscle tension”, should the nurse really have given me the entire bottle?  
\- He tian probably pa…  
\- ………..  
\- …………...  
\- That doesn’t count.  
\- Right.  
\- He did it for himself. For the guilt.  
\- Yeah, we weren’t even there. We don’t owe him anything.  
\- Him paying doesn’t even make sense.  
\- Right, no sense at all.  
\- ………..  
\- Well since you already have it so might as well use it right?  
\- It’d be a waste not to.

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It was a relief to see that the “quick” in the bottle wasn’t a lie, a few minutes and he was able to lay down and completely stretch his body on his bed. When his mother finally came home he’d already been asleep for hours, dreams filled with golden-haired monkeys and a pair of deep gray eyes.

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-

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Mo guan shan sat on the ground, back pressed against the wall and elbows sitting on his knees while he panted. He’d been avoiding She Li during most of the day, his clear bad mood making people a little more hostile towards him than normal, “what a nasty attitude” “he’s becoming increasingly intolerable”. He felt so angry all the time that he couldn’t really blame them, _“but they could try and take care of their own business for once” _. When the gold eyes finally caught him he was forced to go to plan B, run until you find a spot to hide. And well, hide was an overstatement, he was very much in a public space, on the back of the school in a little pathway that people sometimes came to smoke in, but at least he’d gotten away from She Li, so that was enough.__

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\- Fuck I want to quit  
\- Maybe we don’t just hate She Li, maybe we hate everything.

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Mo guan shan felt lost, like a grain of sand being thrown around by the current of a river. He was behind in all his classes, people hated him, and She Li couldn’t leave him the fuck alone, maybe quitting school was the best option after all, his mother would understand… and he could get more money working full time… he’d just never go to college. How good would his job be without that? What would he do his entire life? … would he ever have someone? 

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\- Little Mo I don’t want to interrupt your self-reflection moment but you’re panting quite loudly you know?  
\- FUCK! - Prya jumped half a mile as he opened his eyes to see He tian there, leaning against the wall with a cigarette on his lips, hidden before by the concrete corner Mo had sat at - wh- shithead since when were you there?  
\- I’ve been here for a while actually 

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Mo guan shan stared at the other’s eyes, they felt almost invasive, as if He tian could read every thought that went through his head. God, he must look pathetic right now, Mo was feeling defeated and scared and having someone witness it was definitely not on his plans. He tian just kept smoking, his wolf huffed and thumped her tail against the ground but he stayed still. Mo didn’t have the energy to care, She li always did that to him, whether he stayed or ran he would always end up exhausted, with his heart so high up his throat it made him want to vomit. It felt like the entire world was falling apart and he could only look around, desperation stamped on his face as the ground disintegrated at his feet. 

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\- You’re very intriguing you know?  
\- And you’re a nutcase disguised as a highschool boy.  
\- … You’re also very rude.  
\- You’re rude.  
\- Great comeback. Why were you running?  
\- None of your business  
\- Was it She Li?

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“...Fuck it, I’m quitting anyway” 

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\- Yes.

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He tian hummed lightly, huffing out cigarette smoke. Yue went to Mo guan shan’s other side and Prya was tense, but for some reason, she wasn’t growling. As he laid there allowing the pain from his stomach and legs to spread and dissipate, the smoke reached his nose.

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\- If you want to smoke go do it somewhere else chicken dick - He tian only seemed amused.  
\- Little Mo let’s make a deal~  
\- Don’t call me that, and we’re not familiar to be making deals.  
\- Yes but see, It’s because we aren’t familiar that we need to talk, and the deal will help with that.  
\- Like hell we’ll talk! I never agreed to anything.  
\- I’ll keep She Li off of you.  
\- …… we don’t accept charity, whatever shit you’re saying isn't a deal. -Prya almost spat.  
\- So you do something for me.  
\- Gross.  
\- Where is your mind going little Mo? - He tian smirked.  
\- Shut up! ...What are you going to ask?  
\- Hmmm, do you know how to cook?  
\- … yes.  
\- Then it’s decided! If you’re good, every time I take She Li off you, you come to my house and cook for me, nice isn’t it?~  
\- I still haven’t said yes.  
\- Then say it.

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Mo had thought about that, while he watched He tian dry Yue in the infirmary, if he had someone like that with him She li would probably think it was more work than reward to go after him. Problem was that he’d actually need to spend time with the black-haired boy for that. _“I don’t need help, I made it up to here, even if I don’t quit I can keep going”. ___

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\- This is just undercover charity, I don’t need help, I'm not weak.  
\- That is true, but apparently you’re dumb. - Prya was about to protest when he cut her off - This isn't charity it’s an opportunity, learn how to take it. I’m living alone and need someone that knows how to cook, you can take advantage of that and use me to keep the snake off your back.  
\- …..  
\- Mo, say yes.

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Aah, he was definitely going to regret this.

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\- Yes.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're confused, Yue is He tians daemon, Huang is She Lis, and Prya is Mos.  
> Also, I'll probably be posting one chapter every week, maybe more, but I might get swamped in school work soon so no promises. Hope you all stay till the end of the fic cause I'm honestly having so much fun writing it lol


	3. Dictator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Went back to the beginning of 19 days to get some of the lines from this chapter and like, thank god Old Xian didn't go on the love triangle path. HT weird obsession with Jian yis hair? Not a pretty look.

Mo cringed as soon as he woke up the next morning. What the hell kinda deal was that?? He wasn’t a goddamn damsel in distress, what was He tian thinking? That he’d come crawling for help every time She li looked at him? He remembered looking into the other boy's eyes, the desperation he’d felt, like if he didn’t hold onto something _(someone) _he’d be swept away and drowned. But now he had just tied himself to He tian hoping the boy and his wolf would save him. Mo guan shan pushed a pillow into his face as he felt it burning with embarrassment. If it’d just been anyone else, anyone who didn’t already saw themselves as a god on earth. Well… to be fair someone else probably wouldn’t have talked to him...__

__\- Ugh… this is so fucking embarrassing_ _

__Prya didn’t answer, their feelings weren’t shared, Mo could be happy at the same time as she was sad, but at the moment she was hiding under the bed just as embarrassed as him._ _

__That bastard is so full of himself, and I just went ahead and added fuel to the fire! - Prya twisted herself, head popping out from underneath the bed - Let’s just avoid them both, I don’t need He tian’s help, and I don’t fucking want it!_ _

__He only got up when his face went back to normal. Thankfully his mom had already gone off to work. Until now he had managed to hide the bruises in his neck from her (thanks to the long collars of his jackets) but the fact that their schedules usually didn't meet during weekdays had definitely saved him. Before leaving the apartment Mo wondered if he should come in late, He tian was a star student so he’d arrive early at school but She li… it was a gamble whether he’d be late or early…Prya growled, she wasn’t a fan of bets._ “Fine, but if we meet one of them it’s your fault"_ . 

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____He hid during most of the day. When he came into the school gates She Li had been there, talking to two other boys while he waited to see Mo, so he’d simply gone around the block and sneaked over one of the lower walls that surrounded the school. Walking to his class he almost bumped into He tian, but thanks to him being distracted by a blond boy’s hair Mo was able to turn around and take another path without being noticed.  
Every time he saw a glimpse of white hair or a black-furred daemon he hid, or ran, or turned around, to be honest, it started to be a lot more work than it was worth. _ “Why the hell do I have to hide from him?? The deal was his idea! If he’s looking down on me it’s his problem, not mine.”_ . Of course, it was much easier to think it than to actually practice it. But every time he thought about He tian looking down at him on the ground and pitying him… no. If it meant never looking at that chicken dick ever again hiding like this was definitely worth-__

______\- Little Mo! What are you doing here hiding? You look suspicious.  
\- FU- _how the hell _\- where the hell did you come from??  
\- Oh I was looking for you actually, come here there’s something I want to confirm~___ _ _ _ _ _

________As always his grip on Mo’s shoulders was iron solid, so even as Mo tried to struggle out of it, he was still dragged in front of the detention board. There was only one sign on it, “Name: Mo GuanShan. Gender: Male. Class: 3 (7). Cause of punishment: eating sunflower seeds during class, disturbing class, using 504 to glue sunflower seed peels to the window, destroying property, polluting the environment, warning”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________\- This person… is this you?  
\- So?  
\- Your name is Mo GuanShan?  
\- ……  
\- …….  
\- Let me give you an english name. Don’t Close Mountain.  
\- Scram_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He tian laughed and when Mo guan shan started to walk away, fists balled in annoyance, the wolf gave his shoe a small bite. He looked at her, she hadn’t touched him but it was still surprisingly close,_ “Prya you’re supposed to deal with these things you know?”._ ___ _ _ _

__________\- I said scram! Why the hell are you biting me?  
\- She’s doing it because you’re being stubborn, stop trying to run away  
\- Shut up you’re running away… we’re not friends, what do you want?  
\- See I told you, we have to talk to become friends-  
\- WHO THE HELL WANTS TO BE YOUR F-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He tian slapped the back of his head, and to his indignation, Prya laughed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________\- Shush we’re in public and you’re being loud. Now give me your number.  
\- What?  
\- I realized that you don’t really have a way to talk to me if you need to, so give me your number  
\- … I won’t use it. I only agreed to the deal to get you off my back.  
\- Then you’re dumber than you look. - Mo was about to protest when Yue bit his shoe again, this time Prya bit her ankle as payback, which wasn’t a lot but it was nice for him - -  
Listen, She li is strong but he’s also always accompanied by at least two people, with me you’re just leveling the field, no reason not to.  
\- Are you saying you're worth two people? - At the corner of his eyes he realized Yue and Prya seemed to be playing a game of “who can bite more ankles”.  
\- Never. I’m worth at least fifteen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Mo wanted to punch him, if there was a way to measure someone's ego He tian would break the fucking scale. He saw things in such a simple and direct way, he wanted to be friends so they would talk more, he wanted someone to cook for him so Mo would, he didn’t like She li so, with Mo guan shan as an excuse, he’d fight him. It was so fucking stupid for Mo to be as jealous as he was right now. He tian had been born lucky, with his body he’d never had to worry about getting hurt or targeted by others, and with his money he could do whatever he wanted and have close to no consequences.  
Mo knew that the boy’s way of thinking was that way because He tian probably always got whatever he wanted in the blink of an eye. Was it a fight, a friend, or a cook, he’d get it no matter what, in some ways, it reminded him of She li _ “Same thing different package”_ . As they walked, the redhead stuck under the other's arm, he sneaked looks at the wolf.___ _ _ _ _ _

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____________Prya had returned to his side by then, but the other kept walking in front of them. Yue was the biggest proof of the easy life He tian had led, she never had to adapt to a small apartment, or crowded buses and streets, no, the daemon had settled already used to places big enough for a wolf her size to never feel impractical or inconvenient._ “As if someone like this could ever help me, we don’t even exist in the same world”._   
They passed She li as they walked, Mo guanShan had been so focused on Yue that he almost missed it, but looking up there he was, playing with Huang and a small scissor-like knife. At least his bet had been right, with He tian glued to him like that all the other boy did was stare with a mixture of boredom and anger, Mo almost smiled _“what? Scared of a fair fight?”_ ._____ _ _ _

________________He jumped when He tian stuck his fingers into his pocket._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________\- What the hell? Get off!  
\- Relax I don’t mix business and pleasure.  
\- WHAT IS TH- The outburst got him another slap at the back of the head - what the hell is that supposed to mean pervert!? Don’t be fucking gross.  
\- Can’t you take a joke? I’m just taking your cell phone - He tapped at the screen a few times - Here, my number, now since you’re stubborn I’ll only leave once you call me._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Oh, how Mo guan shan wished he wasn’t being serious, he really did not want the other boy to have his number, but it was true that it’d be good to have it in case of an emergency. So with a scowl, he grabbed the phone -_ “I’ll change “He tian” to “chicken dick” later”_ \- and called, He tian smiled picking up his own to answer it.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________\- Yes, who is it?  
\- The guy that hates you.  
\- Sorry, you must have the wrong number, everybody loves me.  
\- Then I guess we really don’t know each other. Feel free to erase this number._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Mo wondered how the hell someone could know him for so little time and still smile at him like that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________\- Never._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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__________________Mo guan shan kept thinking about He tians smile all throughout class, he’d never admit it out loud but it was… nice. Maybe that’s why he had so many followers… Did he smile like that to everyone? If so how the hell did smiling come so easy to him? Looking around the class wasn’t a lot of help for comparisons, since the teacher was still talking about something to do with triangles nobody had a reason to smile. Maybe smiling wasn’t that big a deal, he tried to remember people's faces as he walked around the school, but not only did he not pay attention to them, he also wasn’t very liked by anyone in there… It took Mo a while to realize why he couldn’t stop thinking of He tians smile,_ “that’s the first time someone other than my mom smiled like that to me in… years.”_ .  
He suddenly felt very tired.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Prya was lying down at his feet,_ “I wonder how you’d smile if you were human”_ . That was a stupid question, she’d look just like a female version of him, so her smile would be the same as his. Mo guan shan tried to imagine it but _ “I guess it’s been a while since I saw it… damn this class is getting way too depressive”._   
It didn’t make sense, nothing about him made any fucking sense. They barely knew each other and still, He tian had already burned himself inside Mo’s thoughts. He tian was everything Mo hated, everything he did and said felt fake and pretentious, so why the fuck had his smile felt so… he must be going insane, this was just a side effect of years with no friends._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________When the bell rang, he almost ran out of the class, but of course, She li was already there. Mo could run back, wait for the boy to go away, maybe he could even call He tian, just in case of a fight... but even as he thought it he knew he wouldn’t do it. He still had some pride, calling He tian would be like grabbing it and throwing it into a puddle on the street. When She li finally saw him Mo had been just standing there, paralyzed like an idiot. The usual wave of nausea twisted his stomach, there were some people around so he’d probably not touch Prya, at least not in a big noticeable way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________\- Mo guan shan I missed you, that black-haired guy seemed glued to you today..._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________When he looked at Prya he knew she understood it, If She li tried to take them someplace else they’d run, as fast and as far as they could._ “But to where?”_ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________\- What do you want?  
\- It’s so annoying that you have that inflated ego now… so I want to fix it, come let’s-  
\- Little Mo! What are you doing? Class ended so let’s go._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________“This guy has got to have a tracker on me”_ Although he had a friendly tone, He tians eyes were dark and staring holes into She li’s head. He never fought him to know he could win, how was he so confident? The monkey had moved to the ground getting ready to strike and grab Prya but the wolf, already sitting in front of her, was so much bigger than Huang that it was almost funny to see her staring down, daring him to move.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________\- Hm.. we’re talking. You can go. - As he looked into golden eyes Mo knew with some amount of surprise that She li was actually willing to fight  
\- I don’t care, get out of the way.  
\- Or what?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Tension buzzed on Mo guan shan’s body as much as he felt a little excited, itching for a propper fight since yesterday, he still had enough mind to want to avoid it. It’d only worry his mother._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________\- Listen there’s a lot of people around, let's not fight - He tian looked at him but Mo couldn’t tell what he was thinking - a teacher might be passing through here soon so let’s just go.  
\- ….  
\- You seem so reasonable Guan shan… So let’s settle this after school how about that?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________________“Settle my fucking fist in your face shithead, who the hell wants to get beat up by you?”_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________\- I did everything you asked me, I paid my goddamn debt you can’t  
\- What, you think those little favors are as valuable as your life?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________Mo guan shan faltered, he wanted freedom so fucking much, but maybe She li was right. Right now if he hadn’t been saved he… fuck I-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________\- I’ll say this as clearly as possible. I don’t care what you did or didn’t do. Right now his business is my business, if you touch him I will beat you to a pulp._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________There was a moment of tense silence, but as if not affected by it at all He tian simply shouldered past him, Mo safely forced under his arm.  
Watching him look from She li to the students ahead was strange. His entire body changed, one minute he was tense fists balled and filled with anger and in the other he was smiling apologetically, shoulders down. The closest ones looked wearily at them, but most people just relaxed and smiled back. Mo couldn’t understand how they didn’t see how fake He tian was._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________Avoiding the fight was a little disappointing but he knew it was the best option, so he still felt glad enough to not protest against He tian’s hold. When they were almost out of the school they entered a corridor empty if not for two boys, one blonde and the other with light brown hair. The taller one had his entire back resting on the wall, eyes fixed on the other face, while the blond stood in front of him holding the middle of his shirt with both hands. They seemed enthralled with each other, faces still, but close enough to make Mo guan shan embarrassed to be looking, they should definitely not be seeing such a private moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________\- Gross! - He tian shouted clearly amused, Mo elbowed his belly horrified._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________Both of the boys jumped out of their skins, eyes wide and faces burning bright red. The taller boy hid his face in the crook of his elbow but he didn’t move beyond that, the blond gave the smallest step back possible, and with one hand still holding the shirt, he turned annoyed to shout at He tian._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________\- He Tian! Shut up! Don’t you know to just go away in moments like this?? -_ “thank god He tian actually knows these people”_ .  
\- Jian Yi shut upp! T-there was no moment happening - the fact that the both of them were still burning red begged to differ.  
\- Don’t you guys know this is a public space? You’re being too-  
\- Enough shut up both of you! ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________The taller seemed to be getting his bearings again and- shit that couldn’t be true, as they approached them and Mo actually had a good look at their faces he realized, they were the people he “fought”, only now he saw the small bruise in the blond’s cheek._ “Huh, so they weren’t boyfriends?”_ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________\- The corridor was empty and we weren’t doing anything. Who’s that with… oh.  
\- Oh, it’s him! The crazy redhead that beat me up yesterday! - Of course the people Mo guan shan had hit were He tian’s friends. - Let’s go, He tian get revenge! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________He tian raised an eyebrow at Mo guan shan, but beyond that, he stayed still._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________\- What are you saying, I’m not a dog?  
\- Xixi let’s twist his balls - Mo had been fairly confident that that quiet guy wouldn’t actually follow his… friend's impulse, but then his face reflected the blond boy’s smile and Prya’s hair stood up.  
\- Uhm, you guys aren’t serious right…?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________He tian did not let go of him, so they reached and threw him to the ground with considerably little effort. As Prya and the blond’s daemon struggled together - thankfully she was winning - the wolf’s owner just stood there, lighting a cigarette._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________\- AAAAAH you’re all crazy!! - Jian Yi was smiling while He tian smoked, watching with mild interest.  
\- Say sorry! He tian come hold his legs - _ “Save me you DICK”._   
\- … ok :) - As he walked towards them Yue went to mediate the daemons fight.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________He tian kneeled between his legs, long fingers holding his knees and pushing them apart._ “Fuck why the fuck am I paying so much attention to that”._   
They held him down and well… twisted. When the deed was done Mo guan shan stayed on the ground, pain pulsing through his body as the other three boys stood around him, Prya was beside his head, growling.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________\- HA! The revenge is done!… we still don’t have an apology, but I guess this is enough…  
\- I feel like that’s fair.  
\- Xixi the cat hurt Saoirse. - The beagle whined to “xixi”  
\- Hmm, let’s go to the court and take care of it. - Jian yi was looking at the other boy like a lost puppy - He tian we’re playing basketball, you joining?  
\- I’ll help redhead first, then we’ll both go. - Mo showed him his middle finger.  
\- But he didn’t even apologize! - He tian stared at the blond boy - … Fine. But he’s buying the drinks.  
\- Yes yes~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________The boy smiled and watched the couple leave, He tian kept smoking even when they were gone, Yue and Prya were staring at each other. The wolf had never tried to fight but maybe she’d changed her mind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________\- Do you need me to help you up?  
\- Fuck off… you’re fake and sinister. And I’m not playing or paying shit.  
\- Don’t be so fucking pretentious, you started a fight for no reason yesterday, you got what was coming to you. And yes you are.  
\- I barely touched him.  
\- And if you hadn’t been interrupted?  
\- …..  
\- Besides You’re so guarded against getting help I wasn’t sure you’d want it now.  
\- What’s that supposed to mean?  
\- You saw She li before he saw you today, you had the chance to call me.  
\- You were watching? Creep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________He tian kicked the side of his leg and sat down beside him, forcing Prya to stand on top of Mo’s belly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________\- I was waiting to see if you’d call, of course, you didn’t. You’re very hard to convince~ - puffs of smoke scaped He tians lips as he talked - but it’s ok, I’ll still do it someday._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________Mo guan shan got up stretching his legs._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________\- … Are we still going to play with them?  
\- Oh? Are you excited to make new friends?  
\- Scram I’m only going because I know you’ll drag me anyway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________He had punched Jian yi, they wouldn’t be friendly to someone like him, Mo was only allowed to go because of He tian._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________\- By the way, you owe me a meal now.  
\- What? You barely did anything!  
\- Hey, I would’ve fought him, you’re the one that decided to be a pacifist.  
\- So basically I did all the work.  
\- You’re not scary enough to get away from that situation by only talking. So I was the threatening backup.  
\- … what a shitty ass deal..._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________It was fun. Playing with them was actually fun.  
It was borderline insane, he had punched Jian yi for close to no reason, yet when he appeared with three drinks on his hands (He tian forced him to) they had smiled as if nothing had happened. They introduced themselves - _Jian Yi and Zhan Zheng Xi _\- and just went back to playing, no harsh words, or passive-aggressive remarks. It was a bit awkward with Zhan Zheng, the boy seemed to take Jian yi’s safety a lot more seriously than the boy himself, but Mo wasn’t burdened by it. The game wasn’t serious, it felt like the perfect release for him, he let his muscles strain and stretch, by the end even the burning sensation that the ball left in the palms of his hands felt relieving. The ich from the almost-fights was completely gone when it was finally decided that the other pair had won, (probably thanks to Mo’s complete refusal to cooperate with He tian). Their daemons celebrated from where they’d been watching.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________\- Ha! A complete victory, easy!  
\- See we are the perfect team!  
\- You guys didn’t do anything… - Zhan zheng xi was panting as he walked towards them.  
\- Moral support!  
\- Give us a ball and we’ll kick Yue’s ass.  
\- Oh? Aren’t you confident?~ - He tian smiled mildly annoyed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________The wolf didn’t say a word, instead, she just jumped on top of Jian yis dog. It was a funny scene to look at, while the wolf pinned her victim down with her front paws she tried to catch the owl with her mouth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________\- Hmm, I don’t think a dog and a bird can play basketball…  
\- Are you dumb? Of course they can’t.  
\- Xixi redhead is so mean let’s twist his balls again.  
\- I’ll kill you.  
\- So aggressive~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________He tian pushed him to the ground, and that’s where they spent the next ten minutes. While both of them focused on who could win the fight play, Jian yi and Zhan zheng xi sat down beside them, talking about something that Mo couldn’t hear thanks to the extremely heavy fucker on top of him. They only stopped when He tian had pinned him belly down, with both hands held tightly at his back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________\- Ugh fine! Get off!  
\- Little Mo I won fair and square~  
\- Shut up you only won because you weigh as much as an elephant.  
\- Be respectful - he pushed Mo’s arms up, shooting sharp pain through them.  
\- Off!!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________He just laughed and sat down beside him. The daemons were all lying down, the owl on top of Saoirse was cleaning her feathers. Yue was a little far from them and as close to Prya as she would let her be, it was funny seeing her with her mouth open, panting. The wolf usually had this cold and mysterious air to her, but like that it just looked like she was giving that half-smile that dogs sometimes gave.  
Mo was tired to the bone, muscles sore and feet aching, but he still somehow felt light. He’d never in a million years admit it, but he was glad He tian had forced him to be there. Mo guan shan didn’t consider any of them as anything close to a friend, but playing the game had been the most fun he’d had in quite a while, and if He tian was going to be glued to him, having moments like this didn’t hurt. He debated if he should ask He tian to play again b-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________________________________\- I’ll sleep with you today. - The four boys froze as Zhan Zheng slowly turned red at his own words.  
\- ……  
\- …………….  
\- ………………..okay.  
\- That’s not what I meant…  
\- Okay…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________Yeah, forget about the other game Mo guan shan was going away now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________After that, He tian had walked him to the station and they agreed that Mo would cook him lunch that friday. I’d be a bother, but after a long discussion of technicalities, Mo had decided that cooking a meal for the guy was more worth it than continuing that conversation. He wasn’t going to tell the boy and his wolf, but they had kept She li off off him twice that day, and since he had done very little for it, Mo counted both “halves” as one “whole”. He was still laying on the bed trying to process the day when his mother called him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________\- Guanshan! Your classmate is here for you!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________Classmate? Why hadn’t He tian just sent him a message? They exchanged numbers for that. It was only as he opened his door that he realized his mistake. He’d never told He tian where he lived, which meant…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________\- She li. W-what… are you doing here?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________The other boy leaned on the door frame arms crossed in his chest, with an amused tone he spoke._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________\- I’m here for your lesson little Mo._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fellas is it gay to longingly imagine your enemies smile for hours on end?  
> Btw the whole detention board is canon. Literally. I took every word from one of the updates. And it's so fucking funny, Like, my boy Mo really wasn't even trying dude, he GLUED sunflower seed peels to the window. And anyone else remembers that update where ZZX told JY he'd sleep with him, and JY just... went with it? King shit  
> Also thank you so much to everyone who left kudos/comments! They really help motivate me to write, I still suck at responding to them but know that they are all Very much appreciated and loved


	4. Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so self-indulgent lmao, but that's the whole point of fanfics so I enjoyed it.

It didn’t feel real. Seeing She li standing there felt like some kind of twisted joke, like He tian was going to jump out at any moment and scream “just kidding! I’m here”. Mo was paralyzed, consumed by the fear that if he moved it’d become true. The entire day he’d done everything to get away and still… he still fucking ended up there.

-You really annoyed me today, but I’m still willing to give you a chance. Aren’t I nice? Let’s go.  
-A-Are you crazy? I’m not going with you.  
-Little Mo, if you don’t come I’ll punish you right here. Your mom will see and if she tries to stop it we’ll just hurt her too. 

If hearing He tian call him “little Mo” was weird, hearing it from She li was just plain creepy. 

-Don’t fucking think of touching her, if you do anything here we’ll just report you.  
-Really? And how’s piss poor family like yours going to win against mine?  
I… - Mo wasn’t sure if that would truly be a factor in the equation, but She li was so confident he guessed it was true - I’ll come with you… 

They didn’t go as far as Mo thought they would, the other boy was clearly not worried about being caught touching Prya. It wasn’t exactly a crime, close lovers or friends usually did it in private places, but She li still seemed way too confident to have only led Mo (and his lackeys) to an alley to deliver his punishment. While two boys held his arms against the wall Huang grabbed Prya by the back of her neck. Mo guan shan remembered Yue’s teeth in there, the touch had seemed a lot nicer back then.

He wanted to fight or run or... _fuck anything_ . But Mo stayed compliant, what would be the point? She li would still come after him, all that would change was how painful the punishment would be. Mo hated to just sit there like a dog and take whatever She li gave him, but he wasn’t naive enough to think there was any other option. He wondered what He tian was doing at the moment, maybe sleeping, _“See? The deal was pointless, solutions don’t just come like that”_

-You seem so quiet Mo. Why aren’t you fighting back?  
-None of your business.  
-So cold… I’ll break Prya’s paw-  
- _What?!_ You fucking psycho you can’t-

She li’s hand covered his mouth and pushed his head against the wall with so much strength Mo wondered if he’d start to bleed.

-Oh actually I can. See it looks like you forgot who owns you… and breaking her paw will be surprisingly easy.

The world was spinning, his body was shaking from the anticipated pain. Prya had broken her leg before but not by a human hand, Mo had never even heard of something like that happening to people outside of… well, outside the world he guessed She li was in. Trying to imagine the pain was pointless, not only would the boy _Hold_ her leg to do it, but he’d also use the pressure to break it… it’d be hell. How many punishments would come before they turned unbearable? Mo was already in shackles, if they were unbreakable what was even the point of fighting them? He wasn’t He tian, he had no friends, all Mo guan shan had was She li so what was the point of making him angry?

-You’re still not fighting back. Do I need to break more to get a reaction?

Mo didn’t answer, he didn’t want to move.

-This isn’t fun… But I hadn’t finished talking. As said before I’m still willing to give you a chance. A deal. 

_“What?”_

-A friend of mine bit more than he could chew with the school. Take the blame and get expelled.  
-Why would I fucking do that?  
-Because it’s either that or a broken paw.

Well, he did make a good argument.

-You already want to drop out. This way not only you get that but I’ll also let you out of your debt with me. There’s no need to waste time with school. I’ll even be kind enough to let you work at my family's bar first.  
-And what would you get from this?  
-That friend will owe me. By now It’s more interesting to have that than you.  
\- You’re lying… what, you’re suddenly fine with letting me go? This isn’t even a choice.  
\- I don’t really care if you believe me or not.

Prya usually was quiet around She li - no reason to remember him of her existence - but god how Mo wished she’d talk to him right now. Why was She li offering so much?

-Are you doing this so that you can use me later?  
-If I say “yes” what can you do? Don’t act like you’re being victimized. This is a perfect deal for you.

_“A perfect deal to get out of the mess you put me into you asshole”_   
His heart was thundering inside his ribcage, It felt like his entire life had been leading to this one moment, two years of hell could just end right there and then. She li was right, he’d been thinking of dropping out so he could work since middle school. His grades were unimpressive, he’d probably never go to college, he had no friends, why stay? Every second he had lived had been proof to the fact that he did not belong inside the school’s grey walls. Mo thought about He tian, he’d be angry if he said yes to this, fuck Mo would be angry if he said yes. It wasn’t absolute protection obviously but He tian had given him his protection, a way to fight back even if in a minuscule way. Mo had still ended up there but so what? He’d accept another favor from She li? Go to work for his family and die a lackey? _“Where the fuck are you when I actually need you chicken dick?”_

-G-give me a day, to think.

She li was clearly not amused.

-You have until school ends tomorrow. A second longer and we’ll pin the guilt on you whether you take advantage of it or not. - Mo almost cringed when the monkey spoke, Huang’s voice sounded iron scraping iron. 

Well now t-

-I DON’T AGREE - _“Jian yi??”_ What. In heaven's name. Was that boy doing? She li seemed as surprised as Mo for a second, but it didn’t take long for his face to twist into a grin - I ask you how can you do something so sinister? If you don’t want to be reported let go of them!!

It was almost comical to hear Jian yi’s voice. Mo was pressed against a wall, both arms held by a pair of blonde lackeys, and his head firmly pressed by She Li’s cold fingers. And despite all that the boy still stepped beside Mo guan shan and pointed one of his fingers at She li

-Jian yi is it…  
-I’m yo uncle… what's it to you- The blonde boy hesitated for a second, his beagle letting go of a small whimper. Turning around he held Mo guan shan’s arm and dragged him back into the beginning of a run - YOU’RE SHE LI! FUCK REDHEAD RUN.  
- _What are you doing you nutcase!??_

Jian yi led him through what felt like a hundred different streets, Prya who had started running before him, stayed silent even while they ran. Both he and Jian yi were panting and drenched in sweat when their feet stopped.

-You… c-can’t just quit school like t-this...  
-It ain’t… your business… - Mo felt like strangling the other boy. He could only hope She li would actually wait until tomorrow.  
-Because we’re friends!  
-??? Who in the chicken dick is your friend… 

They barely talked! The most they touched had been Mo’s knuckles on his face, and some spare touches during the game earlier. So why the hell had Jian yi already gone far enough to try and “rescue him”. It made no sense at all, people weren’t like that, nothing in this life came for free so why was this guy taking this kind of risk for him? Because they played together for a few minutes? Because He tian was temporarily interested in him?  
That was probably it… Jian yi was trying to make He tian owe him by saving Mo, _“but why would He tian even care about something like this?”_

If that idiot hadn’t interrupted, Mo might’ve been able to go into more details on the plan. Now not only was he going to school tomorrow in the dark, but Jian yi had put himself on She lis radar… 

-She li isn’t a nice person, I recommend you don’t anger him.

Jian yi tried to call out to him when he started to walk away. But Mo ignored him, his head was pulsing, he hadn’t even tried to fight back, the fear of She li’s proposition had poisoned his guts and made every single muscle in his body exhausted.  
There was nothing to talk about, If he said yes, soon he’d be gone and no one would even remember him in school… well maybe He tian would, he’d be angry that Mo guan shan had backed away from their deal. Mo wondered what it’d feel to choose She li’s deal over his, at the moment it just felt like he was a sheep stuck between a wolf and an electric fence. _“At least the electric fence was a quick death… ”_

-

He received a small nod when he walked past She li on the corridor, it made him feel sick. For She li to think he had already accepted it, like he had no option other than to be his obedient dog. _“Do I? Is He tian actually an option?”_   
Finding a full-time job would be hard, but he would rather keep his two part-time jobs than to actually go work at the She family’s bar. Whatever the pay was it wouldn’t be worth maintaining contact with him. Mo wondered if it was better to just tell He tian about the situation, _“He wouldn’t even let me consider She li, he doesn’t get it. He tian was never stuck”_ . But he felt slightly anxious, Mo guan shan still very much disliked He tian, but in years he had been the first person to try, as convoluted as it was he’d given Mo a way to fight off She li.  
Speaking of the devil when he turned around the corner He tian was the only person on the new corridor, walking towards Mo with a lazy smile on his face- Wait. He tian. 

_“He’s walking towards me, when She li reaches the corner he’ll know I just passed him with no problems. Fuck, wait, what am I going to say? I don’t want to tell him. I don’t want to face them both at the same time. Fuck wait stop walking please wait”_

-Little Mo I’m so glad I found you~  
-GuanShan the door! 

He’d need to give Prya some kind of gift later, he had been half-blind with panic before, but now he wanked the door open with his left hand and grabbed He tian with his right, pushing them both inside the room. Mo guan shan’s first reaction was to sigh in relief, It’d be hard to explain but at the very least he wouldn’t have to do it while being stared at by both She li and He tian. His second reaction was to realize that Prya absolutely did not deserve a present, because the room was more like a closet, one not nearly enough to house two boys, a caracal, and a fully grown wolf without pressing them together. 

Admittedly considering how suddenly Mo guan shan had pushed them in there, He tian had done a considerably good job to not let neither Prya nor Yue be touched. The room was cramped with shelves and cleaning products, forcing Mo’s daemon to squirm between bottles at his feet, which in turn forced them to be ahead of his body invading what would be He tian’s half of the room. The problem was that since Yue was so big, simply pushing his feet ahead didn’t really work (and it would risk touching Prya) so He tian had to bend one of his knees and support himself with his arms. So in the end, Mo guan shan saw himself pressed against the other boy and the wall, one of He tians arms beside his head, and one of his godforsaken fucking knees pressed between Mo’s legs.

-Uhm - He tian seemed amused as always, but at least the position seemed to be hard for him to keep - not that I’m complaining but maybe next time you feel like having some alone time, you could be more patient so we don’t end up… well, like this.

Mo guanShans cursed his feet as they started to slip, forcing him to push both arms out to find support. They were too close, waay too fucking close.

-Shut up shut up shut up shut up.  
-You pushed me in here, almost touching Yue, just to insult me?  
-I obviously didn-

He Tian moved his leg. It wasn’t a big movement, just the type of small drag you do when your feet start to slip on the floor, but his knee had gone up, shooting electricity through his body. Mo felt his entire face burn, He tian had just… j-just t-touched… 

-Y-you pervert bastard motherfucker! Fuck! I’ll kill you when we get out of here!  
-Well sorry but _someone_ pushed us here in a second, and if I slip I kick Prya which we both know won’t be a good situation to be in. - He tian seemed angry

Mo guan shan wanted to punch himself, He tian was impossibly annoying but he _had_ just almost touched Yue because of his rash decision. People usually spent their entire life with only extremely close people touching their daemons, to have Mo almost brush against the wolf in a cramped room was probably more than enough to give He tian some reason… 

-S-sorr… Uhm, anyway, you better not be fucking enjoying this.  
-Oh? And what would be so enjoyable little mo?~  
-YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.  
-If you’re so bothered let’s just get out. I’m not exactly comfortable either.  
-No! - fuck having both of his arms around He tian made it so fucking awkward to talk - I mean, Uhm, We’re hiding from She li.  
-What? Why?  
-I’m not in the mood to fight so… h-he should be passing by soon…  
-You didn’t seem to be running from him…  
-How I run from people is none of your business. 

He tian just chuckled at that, Mo was glad his humor was back. Worse than being stuck in a small closet with He tian, was being stuck in a small closet with an angry He tian.

He wasn’t sure if he’d actually convinced the other boy, but he was cooperating so that was something. Mo looked at the ground, if only whoever used that room had the decency of keeping all the bottles and cans in the shelves Yue would’ve been able to lay down, and He tian wouldn’t have that fucking knee pressed against… He sighed, they’d just be there for a little while. He was about to speak again when He tian shifted his weight ( _“Stop moving that leg chicken dick!!”_ ) and pushed his hand against Mo’s mouth, bumping his head against a shelf. His neck prickled and turned red when He tian leaned forward to whisper in Mo guan shan’s ear.

Little Mo shush, listen to the steps.

Shit, they were so close, if not for the bump he would’ve thanked He tian for shutting him up, having to _explain_ to another living creature why he was in that position with He tian would probably kill him. Mo glanced to his side, He tian’s face was almost touching his shoulder thanks to him not straightening back up after whispering in his ear. They were so close their chests almost touched, and while their breaths heated up the damp room Mo guan shan became very aware of each spot where his body touched He tian’s. Beyond the knee, his other leg slightly scraped against Mo’s thigh, one of his hands was still pressed against the wall for support, but the other was firmly pressed against his mouth, Mo almost felt like biting it. 

His face was burning red, directly in front of one of He tian’s shoulders, he stared at the tangled mess their legs were at the moment. Mo guan shan did his best to not think at all, but He tian’s was all around him, his legs, arms even his smell. One that he fucking hated to acknowledge how nice it was, his cologne wasn’t sweet, but sharp and light somehow, not mint but mint-like. With his nose practically touching He tian’s shoulder Mo could still feel the traces of smoke that the cigarettes had left on him.  
From this close he could see the other boy’s chest moving up and down, his muscles tense from the awkward position, if he moved his head just a little sideways he’d feel the boy’s hair against his ear… in that cramped room He tian was everywhere, clogging almost all of Mo’s senses, he wanted to get out so bad it almost felt like panicking.  
This time, when he whispered again Mo felt his entire upper half prickled. He’d never heard He tians voice like this, so low and soft, and so, so, fucking close.

-Ok I think they’re gone… haha little mo you’re so red! Is it because of m-  
-OFF! Get off! Scram!  
-Hahahaha~

Yue was the first to get out, practically running to get some distance from Mo guan shan’s feet. Even though they had just been glued to one another He tian threw his arm over Mo shoulders and dragged him along the hallway.

-Little Mo do you have something to say to me?  
-I don’t even want to be here. -Mo couldn’t look him in the eyes.  
-So mean~ Let’s eat together when the bell rings. I have something to say to you.

-

Saying something like that and then just sending Mo guan shan to his class was just mean. Did He tian already know something? Was he going to break off the deal? If he did Mo would _have_ to say yes to She li, he probably would anyway, it was just too good not to. But being even more forced into the decision wasn’t something he wanted. Waiting today to talk to him felt slightly better than waiting two days ago to talk to She li.  
When the bell rang Prya was out of the class even faster than him. Lucky for them He tian was already on his way to their class, as calm and amused as ever as if there was nothing in this world to worry him.

-Ok spit it out already, what did you want to say?  
-Little Mo so anxious to run to my arms~  
-Fuck off you’re lucky I’m even willing to hear it.  
-Yes that is true.  
-... 

They were quiet while He tian guided them to the roof. Mo guan shan desperately wanted to know what he was going to say but speaking felt terrifying. The day was too pretty for that kind of feeling, the sky was a clear blue with just enough clouds to soften the heat and the bright green leaves shone under the sun. Mo would have to answer She li today, these were probably going to be his last moments with He tian by his side. Once he chose to drop out the boy and his wolf would probably forget about him… that was good… right?  
He tian stayed quiet even when they reached the roof, he just lit up a cigarette, pressed his back against the handrail and faced the sky with closed eyes. Mo watched the small strands of his hair flowing with the wind, in moments like this he kinda understood why the boy had so many followers. People liked pretty things.

-I want to know if you’ll fight.  
-What?  
-I know you won’t believe me but I understand the situation you’re in. You’re between a rock and a hard place right now, you can either live with no physical pain as She li’s lackeys, or you can fight with me to get your freedom. One will hurt more than the other. I want to know if you’ll really fight.  
-I… want to. But it’s not that simple, I really do owe him and we’re already so fucking tied together that…  
-You need to decide at some point. No backing out, It is that simple. Tooth and nail even if you lose in the end you need to decide the path you want to take. 

The boy opened his eyes, locking Mo guan shan in place.

-Mo guan shan, I’m choosing to be by your side. But I can’t do it without your help.

Mo wondered if He tian was doing it on purpose, trying to twist things into it being him the one receiving help. Mo would’ve hated him if he had offered help.

-I’ve been w… You can’t get what you want if you don’t fight for it. There’s no reason to hope or dream if you can’t move to have it. So choose to fight, let’s never let She li touch you ever again. Let’s beat him to a pulp and grab freedom with our own bloody hands.

Maybe it wasn’t He tian making it sound simple, maybe it just was. Mo walked to his side and looked at the ground. Fight even if you lose.

-I can’t fight him. It… he fucking… he touched Prya before so… fighting him is hard, I get nauseous and… I don’t know how helpful I can be against him. - His face was burning with humiliation, it wasn’t his fault, but still admitting that someone had touched Prya left his tongue heavy. - But I don’t want to just roll over and owe him forever so… our deal is still on, you keep him away and I’ll cook for you…

If his knuckles weren’t white with how tightly he was holding the handrail Mo would've thought He tian to be calm.

-Good~  
-But there is a problem, She li knows where I live, he’ll go looking for me there if this goes on for long. And you can’t exactly be with me all the time.  
-hm… Then sleep in my house~  
-Take this seriously It’s my ass on the line.  
-I am serious, I do have a more permanent plan to keep him away but I’ll need some time. Tomorrow is Friday so you’ll have to come cook for me anyways, stay with me during this weekend.  
-No. Gross. I don’t want to spend so much time with you.  
-Little Mo be kind to my heart. And to Pryas ability to not be touched. You either sleep in my house or I sleep in yours.  
-Creep you don’t know where I live.  
-I’ll follow you.  
-I’ll lock the door.  
-I’ll bang on it until you open it.  
-I’ll buy noise-canceling headphones.  
-I’ll eventually bump into your mother.  
-... Fuck.  
-Ha!  
-Fine. I’ll sleep in your house, but you better not do anything weird,  
-Won’t promise it.

-

She li found him beside one of the empty courts. It wasn’t surprising, Mo guan shan had already decided but by now He tian was the only one that knew it. He had thought about telling him about the almost deal on that rooftop, but it would have to be one step at a time. Mo could deal with this by himself, he had timed She li to find him when he only had one person accompanying him, against them Mo might not be able to win, but he was able to not lose.

-This deal is just another leash around my neck, I won’t take it, no matter what you say I’ve made my decision. She li I won’t let you hold power over my life forever, I’m done.

His silver hair reflected the sun while he walked towards Mo, Huang was on the ground but he and Prya had decided she should stay as far as she could, so if a fight did break out she’d deal with the other boy's daemon before dealing with the monkey. By then hopefully the fight would be only between Mo, She li, and their daemons. 

-... You’re so fucking stupid. You really don’t get it, do you? This isn't a decision or a fight Mo guan shan, because no matter what I win.

He didn’t even have time to be confused, Prya left out a scream and the second Mo turned to see what happened, the lackey punched his jaw. He tried to jump back but the punch had sent the world spinning and he was still stumbling when the second punch came. The shithead really knew where to hit because while pain exploded from his nose his eyes watered making understanding the situation even fucking harder. Mo avoided the third punch on instinct, they’d been relying so much on number advantage that they forgot he could actually fight, so when his fist flew towards the guy's face surprise made him hesitate. Mo fought like his life depended on it, he hadn’t felt anything when Prya screamed so at least whatever made her do it wasn’t human. He needed to end that fight before She li got the chance to get to her.  
Mo guan shan had his foot in the lackey's neck when he got to look at him again, and by then it was already too late.

She li stood proud just a couple of meters away. One girl at his back and two daemons - Huang, and a brown snake - holding Prya. Mo’s guess had been right, while he paid attention to She li and the boy, the girl had sneaked over and surprised Prya, he wondered if the snake had bitten her. _“He was supposed to have only one person with him who the fuck is this girl??”_

-See? You’ll never have a chance little Mo, all you’ll have is a bloody nose and a daemon - She li stretched his hand above Prya’s front paw - with a broken foot… 

It didn’t matter, Mo would fight. Even if he broke it, even if he passed out, even if his heart, already on his throat, choked him. Mo guan shan had decided on that rooftop, so he steeled his body for the touch, for nausea and oversensitivity, but it never came, instead what came felt like music to his ears. She li let out a short but loud scream.  
Mo looked in disbelief as he shook a pitch-black shadow off his arm, deep bloody holes etched where Yue had bit. The boy had no time to recover before He tian’s hands got a hold of his collar. The wolf jumped towards Huang, biting him and throwing him across the court. She li gasped with the sting of the long distance between him and his daemon, allowing He tian to throw a punch right in the middle of his face. The boy underneath Mo tried to move, but just another push of his feet made it clear he shouldn’t do it again.

Huang was pressed into the ground by one of Yue’s paws and her teeth sunk in his neck. The monkey was screaming like a demon, trying to scratch her in any way possible, but the wolf barely seemed to notice it. Her growls sending shivers up Mo’s spine, she and He tian truly fit one another, when angry the wolf looked fucking terrifying. He wasn’t surprised to see the daemon's golden blood start to stain the corners of her mouth. With a final kick, He tian pushed She li to the ground and, while the boy tried to recover, put his foot above Huang’s leg.

-I don’t know your name but make this clear to anyone who works for this piece of shit. Mo guan shan’s business is now my business. If you try to touch him I’ll consider you tried to touch me and I’ll fucking kill you. 

The girl was holding her snake - apparently Prya had done quite a number on it - but she still held one of her hands up and shook her head.

-Ok.  
-Get the fuck off.

She got up faster than Mo had thought he would, a small knife was shining in his hand. He tian showed not a single speck of fear, he just gave an insane grin and put his foot closer to Huang.

-Do it if you have the balls for it.

The air felt electric. Mo’s hands tingled with anticipation, the idea of beating the boy up alongside He tian made his heart flutter with adrenaline. Even in front of a knife and a well-aimed kick She li and He tian were willing to hurt in order to win against the other. Mo admired it a little, He tian was in all senses of the word, fearless.

-She li… It’ll hurt, redhead really isn’t worth that. - Mo was surprised to hear the girl speak, not a lot of people would interrupt him in a moment like that.  
-...  
-Let’s just go.

He was still clearly angry, but Yue’s teeth had hurt his arm, and Huang was already bleeding, now it was a wolf and a caracal against an injured snake and an even more injured monkey - and technically the other boy’s beetle daemon but Mo really didn’t count that - backing off was the best (and for normal people, _only_ ) option. The monkey gave a strangled cry as Yue pressed harder on his neck, She li had to decide soon.

-Fine.

Huang did his best to run back to his owner, the wound was obviously not lethal, just a series of grazes on his neck, but being stuck in a wolf’s mouth was probably scary enough to make his legs heavy. The girl helped the boy under Mo’s foot while he ran to catch Prya, she had a couple of scratches but apart from that and a speeding heart the daemon seemed fine. In just a couple of minutes, the trio was gone. He tian sighed, eyes closed and both hands pressed against his jaw, “wha-”

-Shit.

Yue bit She li. She _touched him and bit him._

The sensation of touching a daemon depended a lot on context, in simple terms with consent it felt nice and with no consent, it felt invasive. But it wasn’t that simple in practical terms, daemons were extremely sensitive to human touch, so it was something that should be done carefully and with positive intentions. She li had touched Prya already but always in the form of pats or steps, Mo couldn’t imagine what having your daemon bite someone was like. To have the skin rip under it, touch Yue's tongue, gum, and teeth. Not only that but he’d probably touched her again while shaking her off. Mo watched horrified as He tian spat blood to his side and patted Yue’s head, eyes still closed.

-You fight so well little Mo I almost didn’t want to interrupt it~  
-Y-you’re fucking crazy what the hell did you do?? - Prya was able to speak before he was

Why? Why did Yue choose to do that? Why wasn’t he angry about it? Mo wanted He tian to punch him, curse him, _anything_ that explained why they had done what they did. They weren’t friends, Mo wasn’t… fuck why did he let Yue be touched just for him?

-S-she bit him. I don’t get it… you’re… we’re…  
-Mo, Mo look. - He tian opened his mouth - I’m fine. I wouldn’t have reached She li before he touched Prya so Yue did it for me. If I was her I would’ve done the same.

It didn’t make sense. He hadn’t even seen He tian falter during the fight, how had he been able to just keep going after that bite? Mo felt the back of his eyes burn. He had willingly gone through that pain to spare him from it.

-Look - He spat again, this time there was almost no blood - It’s not bad. I’m strong, you don’t have to shoulder everything by yourselves.

Prya was as speechless as he was, would they have done the same for him? She didn’t know, all she could do was walk towards Yue, belly close to the ground, and bump her head against her leg. The wolf, just like Its owner didn’t seem mad, while she nudged Prya’s head with her snout she even looked amused.  
Mo guan shan wasn’t protected. Not like this, his mom would go through hell for him of course, but this? Not just He tian but also Jian yi, they had just fought for him. Not for any obligation, but because they _wanted_ to. He wasn’t used to this, it felt like too much, and he did not know how to react to it. So he did the only thing he could, he copied Prya and walked towards He tian, head low. Mo looked the other in the eyes and pressed his hands on both sides of his jaw, praying his expression was enough to transmit his thankyou. He tian’s eyes were too intense, burrowing in him and making it seem easy to expose his soul, Mo guan shan looked at his shoes before he could see the reddening of his eyes.

-Idiot…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I went on a camping trip and ended up with no internet. On the bright side, this chapter is a little longer And I'm posting the next one already. At first, this one was going to be very different but I ended up liking this version a lot more. Btw do you guys think I describe stuff a little too much? Or put too much dialogue? I'm trying to judge my writing to improve but it's kinda hard to do it alone.  
> Ik the italics are all over the place, i'm still figuring them out lol


	5. Burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prya's favorite fanfic tag is hurt/comfort (it's Mo's favorite too he just won't admit it). This chapter is where I remember the word Cigar exists

-But three whole days just to study? 

Mo guan shan really didn’t know what other excuse he could give his mother as to why he was going to stay at He tian’s house. “Hey mom a psychotic guy is really angry at me for disobeying him, so I’ll hide at this other guy's house for a while” didn’t seem like a viable option. 

-It’s uhm, it’s a really hard test.  
-Don’t worry auntie I’ll take care of him. - Mo glared at him.  
-Oh thank you sweetie, you know Guanshan is very dedicated, he can be too hard on himself sometimes…  
-Mom!  
-He really is, but I’m a great teacher so you can relax, I won’t let him get burnt out.  
-He tian…  
-Ah if you’re this confident then I’m a little less nervous about not seeing him for this long.

Why the hell are they ignoring him?! When did they get this close??

-Mom you’re acting like I’m going away for a week.  
-I’m sorry Guanshan, I’m just making sure you’ll be safe. Come I’ll help you make your bag, He tian we’ll be right back so feel free to make yourself at home.

Usually, He tian would just stick to him like gum under a desk, but his mom’s message had been discreet and clear, she wanted a moment alone with Mo. So as the ever polite perfect boy, He tian smiled and thanked her, going to sit on the sofa alongside Yue. As they walked to his room Mo wondered if he should actually take some school books, He tian was smart, and he _would_ spend three days with him…

-Are you really ok with going?  
-What? Of course, I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.  
-Well I’m just making sure, It’s been a while since you went to sleep in a friend's house, now you suddenly want to go for a whole weekend, It surprised me.  
-He’s not… It’s not about being friends, he’s just smart so I asked him to teach me.  
-Oh yes I saw his name in the top three last paren- wait, you asked him?  
-Yeah why?  
-...   
\- You’ve been acting differently recently - Feng laid down in his bed - yesterday was the most excited we’ve seen you in quite a while.  
-School’s just been a little agitated lately.  
-Were you with He tian yesterday? Did you have fun?  
-Mom! Ok? You said you were going to help me pack not interrogate me!  
-Haha sorry guanshan, I’m just happy you’re making friends - She wiggled her eyebrows at him - And handsome ones at that.  
-STOP.

His mom and her daemon laughed together, it was such a nice sound. When he grew up he’d work hard to give her a beautiful house, one with a backyard for the flowers she always wanted. With her by his side packing up didn’t feel that bad, she joked about the clothes he picked ( _“I’ll never understand how you got so many yellow shirts guanshan”_ ) and the annoyance of having to spend his entire weekend with He tian started to slowly dissipate. Maybe he could finally focus on getting his grades up, and he knew the other boy was rich so at the very least the house would be comfortable. When they came back to the living room Yue and her owner were discussing in little whispers.

-I know, I’ll do it today _I’m just saying_ that I’m not looking forward to- He tian seemed tired but he smiled as soon as he saw Mo - Ah little Mo! Are you ready?  
-Yes, we can go already.  
-You two take care ok? I love you guanshan.  
-Bye mom, love you too.  
-Goodbye auntie, until next time~

_“There’s no next time chickendick”_  
While they walked towards the station - Mo locked under the other boy’s arm - he realized Prya was walking beside Yue, their sides bumping from time to time. Usually, she’d just walk beside him, especially since the wolf always walked in front of them instead of by He tian’s side, when did she befriend the wolf? She used to be quite social in middle school, back when she could still change forms, but as Mo got isolated she got too. He guessed she’d missed being with another daemon the same way he had missed being with another person. 

When they sat down Mo glanced at He tian, he’d been unusually quiet since he talked to Yue. On a normal day, he would be bugging the hell out of Mo but right now he was just staring out of the window, both hands pressed on the wolf fur. _“On a normal day? You don’t even know him for long enough to have normal days”_. By then he’d been glancing at He tian so much it was more like staring.

As he did so, Mo’s mind wandered to what his mother had said, _“handsome ones at that”_. She was right, He tian was _known_ in school for that, but Mo had never paid enough attention to him to see it. The last few days She li and He tian’s terrible personality had kept him away from actually looking at the boy like that, and he hated that his staring was forcing him to do it now. He tian had a thin and annoyingly proportional face, there was nothing crooked or even flawed. His eyebrows, thin and shaped with precision, perfectly complemented his eyes, which in turn had their impossible shade of grey highlighted by the naturally black contour of his lashes. Every component of his face looked like what someone would draw to make up a beautiful person, even his lips were pretty, smooth with a small cupid bow making their shape pleasant. Mo had been considerably isolated these last few years so he ended up never paying attention to what “his type” would be, but he did understand how He tian fit so many people's type. His body was perfect like his face, tall lean, and unfairly muscular, there wasn’t a lot one could complain about him. 

In the beginning, He tian’s personality had been more than enough to void all those qualities in Mo’s eyes, but the earlier fight had confused him. He tian had put himself in danger just to help him, and now he didn’t know how to think about the boy, as weird as it was to think about it, he had devoted himself to Mo and that just made everything confusing.   
They weren’t friends, but as he looked at He tian’s jaw he couldn’t help but want to be by his side, to have his back just as much as he had Mo’s.

-Redhead! He tian! Where are you too going all gloomy like that?

Mo guan shan looked away from the boy and his wolf for the first time in quite a few minutes.

-Fuck off you’re gloomy.  
-Oh little Mo is cooking for me today~  
-Aahh I want hamburgers   
-Who the fuck invited you??  
-You can come~  
-See? Xixi what do you want?  
-Hm what about rice porridge? Or maybe something light… 

Jian yi was as annoying as ever, but Mo was almost glad they were going to join in, he wasn’t sure if he could handle being alone with He tian right now.

-Little Mo what are you going to prepare for us? We’ll have to go to the store first~  
-I’ll make something with whatever you have in your fridge.  
-There’s nothing in my fridge.  
-... pantry?  
-Empty.  
-You’re useless. 

-

Mo guan shan knew He tian was rich (the whole school knew) so he was expecting a considerably big apartment, one filled with luxurious furniture like chandeliers or some shit like that. But going into the apartment he wasn’t sure if it had reached his expectation or not. In size it was almost absurd, it could probably fit Mo’s house thrice with no problems, the ceiling was high enough for a second floor to be possible, and the biggest room had two of its walls made entirely of windows. The problem was, that apart from the necessary, the apartment was virtually empty. The walls had no photos or paintings, there were no rugs or books or posters or even plants, the only proof someone was living in there were some clothes thrown around the bed and a couple of unopened boxes near it. He tian was so boastful of himself that the empty apartment took Mo guan shan by surprise, it didn’t look like a playboy’s house… it just looked lonely.  
Zhan zheng xi and Jian yi didn’t seem to notice it, or maybe Mo was just reading too much into it and He tian just liked being minimalist.

-Come in, come in, the kitchen is right there~  
-Xixi!! Look at the bed! Let’s sleep here tonight - Jian yi grabbed Zhan zheng and jumped into the bed.  
-That’s my bed dumbass, get out.

Mo stood in the kitchen and watched them for a second. The three of them were friends, Zhan zheng xi was close enough to be willing to fight for Jian yi, and by the way they talked to one another He tian had known them for a while already. Mo wasn’t sure what he was doing there, a stranger among friends, but for some reason, he didn’t want to leave. They were not close, but He tian was willing to fight for him too… so maybe, _just maybe_ , It was ok to be there, he was _supposed_ to be there.

-Hey lazy fuckers. He tian’s the only one I owe a meal to in here, so if you two want to eat get up and help.  
-Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh redheeeeeeead you’re so cruel.  
-Little Mo you’re doing all the work for me, I didn’t know you cared that much~

It was just a joke, he knew, but the image of the bloody wound Yue left in She li’s arm suffocated his retort. He would complain about it every time, but after that Mo was probably willing to cook for the boy whenever he asked.

-Bastard all you eat is take out, you probably don’t even know how to cook.  
-Ha that’s true, he’s useless when it comes to food 

That gained Jian yi a slap to the back of the head. But he smiled so much when Zhan zheng went to massage it that Mo could bet he didn’t mind it.

-

-Xixi here's the cabbage  
-What? This is lettuce.  
-No it isn't, Look at it.  
-Jian yi this is clearly lettuce.  
-Bite it.

Cooking with them was fucking enraging. Mo had only ever cooked with his mother, who after years of practice, was completely in sync with him and barely even needed to talk. So cooking with two other teenage boys while a third stared holes into his head was far beyond stressful. 

-You’re cutting it wrong.  
-Then you do it.  
-No.

Zhan zheng was mildly disciplined, but alongside Jian yi they became a force of chaos, cutting ingredients like five-year-olds and almost burning two different towels on two different occasions. He tian didn’t move a single finger to help on that front, mostly looking amused at the boy's jokes and pokes at Mo guan shan. And besides the “human problem” there was also a kitchen problem because He tian wasn’t exaggerating when he said it was empty. The boy only had the most basic tools and pots, but on the bright side, they were all shining from the lack of use.

-Ouch  
-XIXI, ah, how cruel the world is.  
-Tell my sister I love her.  
-You too are fucking unbearable it’s just a little cut.  
-Oh redhead I’m not surprised you don’t understand… the universe is clearly mad.  
-...   
-This is my punishment for having accepted Jian yi as my friend.  
-Oh so cruel!

When the food was finally done Mo’s mood was in a mix of foul and proud. Cooking with them had been extremely annoying, but he did catch himself chuckling and even enjoying some of Jian yi’s and Zhan zheng's jokes. He looked around for Prya as she was probably itching to scream at them, but to his surprise, she was far behind them, on the sofa near He tian’s bed, body glued to Yue's side while talking to the two other daemons, Saoirse (the beagle) and Tao shu (the owl). He hadn’t even noticed her going away, she hadn’t gone far enough to hurt obviously, but even so normally he would have noticed it. _“… I’m not on alert.”_

It was like having proof of something he never wanted, Mo was always aware of exactly where she was because they were often in danger in school, but here? As much as he hated to admit it Prya had just made it obvious, they felt safe with He tian, safe enough that being far apart wouldn’t be bad. Prya looked so comfortable half-buried in the wolf’s black fur, it made Mo’s face heat up, _“Fuck a little comfort and you act like this? When the hell did you guys even get close??”_. At least Yue didn’t seem to mind, she just laid there silent, one ear pointed to the front door and the other to the conversation in front of her. The wolf wasn’t nearly as playful as He tian, which Mo appreciated, it’d be painfully awkward if she flirted with Prya while she laid close like that.

-Little Mo wake up we’re going to eat - He followed Mo’s line of sight - oh~

It wasn’t something to be embarrassed about, daemons were like an out-of-body expression of one's soul, but they still had their own personalities, names, and decisions. They could even (although not common) hate someone their owners loved and vice versa. So He tian seeing Prya that fucking close to his daemon shouldn’t make Mo’s face burn as hard as it was burning, and it sure as hell shouldn’t have made his heart speed up.

-Shut the fuck up grab a plate and let’s go.

Thankfully the other boys were too involved in one another to notice the exchange.

-

Dinner had been just as chaotic as cooking had been. Jian yi was loud and fast-paced, and while Zhan zheng slowed him down with his more down-to-earth humor He tian’s constant teasing kept the three of them talking all throughout the meal. At some point, Mo had been pulled into the conversation and he was surprised for the millionth time that day when he realized he enjoyed eating with them. By the time the couple went to their homes Mo almost wanted them to stay for longer, even if they were just mostly annoying.

-Lucky them.  
-I’m offering you my house and you say this?  
-Yeah. I’m gonna take a shower, where’s the bathroom?  
-There beyond the kitchen, first door. Want company?  
-Gross! Fuck off!  
-But Prya and Yue seemed so close before~   
-Shut up - Well at least Prya wasn’t going to admit it

Mo grabbed his bag and locked himself in the bathroom, he could feel how badly he was blushing and felt tempted to make Prya sleep on the floor the next few weeks.

-Prya I’m going to kill you. - he was whispering  
-S-shut up okay? I was just… it’s… fuck off I know you feel it too, how strong they are, how unstoppable. I’m tired, and around her I just… it’s safe to relax, so just for now, I’m taking advantage of it.  
-...  
-And if you knew how soft her fur is I bet you’d be petting her all the time

They both stopped for a second as the implication of her words hit them. If it was possible Mo became even redder.

-No wait that’s not what I mean.  
-G-gross. I’m taking a shower.

He tried not to think about it, he really did. To not imagine what Yue’s fur would feel under his fingers, to not imagine her leaning into him and trusting him enough to close her honey eyes. He had accepted years ago that he’d never be that close to someone, that he’d never trust someone so much that he’d willingly touch and let his daemon be touched. But He tian had bulldozed over so much of his life in just a few days, that he couldn’t help but wonder what if his future led to that. Mo wasn’t sure if he’d be ok with it. He wished he could break his head open and organize his thoughts by hand, make it clear to himself that He tian was just a tool to keep She li away, to gather up all those scurrying thoughts of his looks, and promises, and feelings and throw them all away. There was no reason to get any closer to He tian, he’d just end sad when the boy eventually left.  
He took a lot longer than he intended to in the shower. When he got out He tian stood in front of the window, talking on the phone with a cigar in his hand.

-Why I need it does not interest you. - his voice was tense and low - I know… I’ll visit father… No, after you give it… I’ll- 

Yue saw him and thumped her tail against He tian’s leg, when he looked back his expression softened a little, he clearly wasn’t a fan of whoever was on the other side.

-Fine… don’t… Yes, I know, listen I have to go… hurry or I won’t do it. - most of the lights were off in the apartment, he blew smoke up before ending the call.  
-You took so long I almost went to sleep little Mo~  
-I was trying to end the hot water.  
-So heartless.  
-Who were you talking to?

He walked to his bed and sat down on the floor beside it.

-My brother.  
-Is he worse than you?  
-I’d say a thousand times worse.

He tian answered it a lot more seriously than Mo expected him to.

-...  
-Aren’t you going to ask more?  
-I don’t want to know more about you.

When he chuckled lines of smoke floated away.

-... Earlier, when Yue bit She li, how did you do it? Kept fighting I mean.  
-Hm, it has to do with my family, you sure you want to hear it?  
-...  
-There’s a lot of big daemons in my family, it's not something to be abused, but it’s good to have daemons as a kind of “secret weapon”. My father trained me and my brother to handle our daemons biting a human in case we ever needed it.

Yue was lying between his legs, her eyes were watching every move Mo made.

-You’re joking, right? That’s tor…. Fucked up.  
-Haha it really is. But it did allow me to keep those spidery hands off you so that’s good.  
-You can’t be this selfless. He tian Yue bit someone for a guy you barely know and you’re not _mad?_ You wanted her to do it?

Mo could hear his voice rising but fuck he wanted a _reason_. He sat on He tian’s side, head lowering between his knees.

-I’m not worth it, even if you knew me for years I’m not fucking worth this much. The deal can’t bring you this far.  
-Look at me.

He couldn’t do it, he tried to organize his thoughts in the shower but they were right back to the mess they’d been the entire day. He was so deep in his confusion that when he felt hands push him to the ground he jumped at the external stimulation.  
He was pressed with no delicacy, his back hit the wood floor hard and his hands were held high above his head by He tian. Mo was too surprised to react as the boy locked his thighs in place with his feet and sat down in the space between his belly button and well… a place Mo really didn’t want to think about in this situation.

-Fuck what do you think you’re doing?? Let go!

He tian pressed him down a little more and doubled down to be face to face with him. Mo’s breath got caught in his throat _“do not fucking to kiss me”_. For a few seconds that was all the boy did, he just stayed there and stared deep into his eyes.

-You’re strong and stubborn. You’re not afraid of the dark. 

It took him a while to understand where the voice was coming from, He tian’s lips were still, which meant the person talking was Yue. Mo’s neck prickled, her voice was suave and clear, it was so nice he almost felt annoyed to be hearing it for the first time in that position.

-You should give yourself more credit because we are not kind or charitable. We admire you. We chose you. Not because of some misguided hero complex but because we _wanted_ to.

It started to feel like too much, the press of his hands against the floor was painful but he barely noticed it. He tian’s words were burning his body and as he stared, eyes unraveled by Yue's words, his hips moved ever so slightly. It made Mo’s belly twist, and his hands itch to hold He tian, to push him away, to hit him and just fucking touch him. Being under him and Yue's voice was overwhelming, but when he tilted his head and finally spoke himself, it felt borderline unbearable.

-Because I want you. As a friend or as something else. It makes no fucking sense but I want to be near you, to hear you curse and fight. It’s not a role for you to rise up to, I want everything you’ll give me Mo guan shan. There are no ulterior reasons, no secret plan to make you owe me. I’m not doing this because I’m selfless, I’m doing it because I’m too selfish not to.

He stayed like that for another minute, eyes trying to read Mo's face, so close he could feel He tian's breath near his mouth. Then he was gone. Up and halfway towards the bathroom in just a second. 

-I’ll take a shower now, feel free to take up the bed if you want to.

And Mo was left there, head spinning and breathing uneven. He didn’t want to but He tian’s face had gotten so close… and his hips had done such small movements. It took him ten minutes to get up.  
Mo guan shan didn’t get a second of sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this made me realize I have no idea how to write zzx.   
> When Mo said he wanted to touch HT it really was just touching, like physical contact, he's still a little far from realizing he wants to fuck/be fucked by HT.  
> We're finally closing in on the spicy scenes... first one is like, one of the main reasons I started to write this fic. As a little teaser, it's inspired by Mother Mother's song, Arms tonite. Iykyk


	6. Rich

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me getting embarrassed while writing this chapter anonymously alone in my room.  
> Writing the smut scenes is going to kill me.

00:00  
Mo wished He tian had told him all that in the morning. At least then he would’ve been able to do something, right now all he could do was lay down on the couch beside He tian’s bed and wait to fall asleep. He didn’t of course, even if the other boy hadn’t just straddled his lower belly and admitted he liked Mo, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep. Because his mind was racing so fast he could barely make sense of it, He tian _chose_ him and Mo guan shan had no idea what to do with that. 

00:20  
After 20 minutes He tian finally came back from the shower (using only a pair of worn-out sweatpants) and for a few minutes the redhead considered just moving to the bed and forcing the other boy to talk. The problem was he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to talk about. He had questions but he didn’t know how to put them into words, He tian had very clearly explained his situation and feelings, and still, it only served to confuse him more.

01:00  
He tian’s breath had gone stable half an hour ago, so surely Mo shouldn’t be this fucking nervous to be sleeping in the same room as him. Mo guan shan wasn’t scared of him… well ok maybe a little, but not in the “He’s a threat” kinda way, he just knew how unreasonably strong the other boy was. But that wasn’t the reason he was so nervous, no if he was honest the idea of fighting the other boy made him excited, he wanted to know what it’d be like. Mo wanted to feel his arms strain to hold the other, he wanted to leave bruises and hear He tian panting from the effort of holding him down, he wanted a fairly unfair fight that left them both sore and ho-... he pressed the pillow into his face, that line of thought was definitely turning a little bit too dangerous. 

02:00  
The more he tried to not think about it the more he thought about it. His mind kept taking him back to He tian’s eyes burning his body, to his hands pressing his wrists together, and to the fucking pretentious smug asshole smile he’d give if he managed to push Mo guan shan down and win the fight.  
Mo would rather eat on fire charcoal than to ever admit it out loud, but there in the middle of the night with the memory of He tian’s weight pushing him against the floor still fresh on his mind, he knew that some part of him wanted _more_. The same part of him that went hot when he thought about the other boy, the same part of him that found the idea of pinning down or being pinned down by a bloody He tian extremely… appealing. Mo prayed that the light of the morning burned away every single thought he had that night.

03:00  
Ok, this was definitely becoming ridiculous.  
At some point, he thought that maybe the fact that he was trying to fight it so much was what was making it so hard to not think about. So he allowed his mind to run wild for ten minutes. The freedom lasted so little because after the tenth minute he was so red with anger and embarrassment that he was sure it had only worked to wake him up even more.

04:00  
Mo was considering whether to give up entirely on sleeping or to just keep trying when he heard it.  
It began so quietly he wasn’t even sure it had happened, He tian mumbled something, but turning around Mo could see he was still asleep - Yue glued to his side. He kept doing it for a few minutes until little gasps and jerks were added. Mo was about to get up to… help in some way, when the other boy practically jumped up choking on air and pressing his hand to Yue’s hair. She whimpered. 

-Wh- oh, sorry - his voice was barely a whisper, but it sounded so vulnerable it froze Mo in his place.

Yue didn’t answer. It was normal for daemon and owner to be able to speak without words, it didn’t get through complicated or complex things, but it did transmit basic feelings and ideas. Still, in the same way some people liked to talk out loud to themselves, some people preferred to talk with words with their daemons - especially in private places. Prya and Mo were a perfect example of preferring words over the abstractness of the bond.  
But he wasn’t surprised when both Yue and He tian remained quiet.

04:50  
He tian spent 50 minutes smoking on the floor before going back to bed. Mo almost joined him at some point, staring at the buildings would probably be a lot more fun than watching the smoke flow up to the ceiling. But he still felt raw from the night’s conversation and… thoughts, talking to a vulnerable and tired He tian was definitely a bad idea at the moment. So Mo decided to leave both of them alone for the time being.

05:00  
They were both awake waiting for the other to wake up.

06:00  
Fuck why have an entire wall of windows and not a single curtain??

06:10  
-He tian?  
-Hm?  
-Wanted to see if you were awake.  
-I am.  
-Hm… wanna wake up already?  
-Yeah, you can make breakfast.  
-I’ll make my own food, you can cook for yourself.  
-So mean~ I think I’ve earned at least two more meals for myself.  
-... fine, but I’m not cleaning the dishes.  
-Yes you’re not, _we_ are.  
-Dickhead.

-

-Where did you learn to cook so well?  
-This is just scrambled eggs.  
-I’m talking about last night's dinner, brat.  
-My family owned a restaurant in the past. I guess I just caught onto some tricks.

Daemons didn’t need to eat, so while the humans made breakfast Yue and Prya had been playing “who can bite the other's tail the most”, Mo was more than cocky to see that his daemon was winning.

-You look tired.  
-Your couch is uncomfortable as fuck.  
-Ah, then come sleep in the bed today~

Mo should have seen that one coming.

-Scram I’m not sleeping with you.

They were standing in front of the stove, He tian standing behind him spying the food from above Mo’s shoulder, while he occasionally gave the boy a push to gain back some personal space. Mo heard the boy moving seconds before he felt his breath on his neck.

-I really like it~  
-Fuck. Back off bastard!  
-Haha you’re so easy to tease little Mo~

Mo guan shan hadn’t known how easy it was to make him flush before meeting He tian. The other boy hugged, and teased and poked him as if it was nothing like if he spent a second without touching Mo he’d die on the spot.

They set the plates in the kitchen aisle.

-What do you want to do today?  
-I’m going to study  
-What?! Boring, let’s go out.  
-Going out with you is a waste of time.  
-Brat you trying to piss me off?  
-I’m behind on… everything really, so since I’m stuck here the least I can do is study.  
-Your mom did say you were dedicated~  
-... creepy don’t talk about my mom.

He tian just laughed, to Mo's surprise they spent the entire meal talking about nothing, and it was weirdly pleasant. After being haunted the entire night he had come to the despising conclusion that as shitty as He tian’s personality was, some part of Mo found him… _attractive_. It was annoyingly impossible to ignore it or pretend it wasn’t true, people didn’t spend nights thinking about how nice it would be to feel someone else's hot skin on their own without being at least a _little_ interested. He could pretend that it was mostly just because of how much he wanted to fight (mostly punch) the other boy, but the ten minutes of complete freedom he’d given his mind had made it embarrassingly clear that a small fraction of him wanted more. A fraction of him that made it hard not to stare at He tian.

So after coming to all those conclusions, Mo was happy that not much in their dynamic had changed, it was silly to think it would, it had only been one night after all. It was a strange one, He tian wasn’t an old and beloved friend, Mo usually just felt extremely annoyed when with him, but at the same time there was no one else that made him feel that at ease. He’d come to trust the other boy’s strength, in the beginning it had only seemed overwhelming and arrogant, but now… Mo knew it just meant he had somewhere to lean into. He tian had not only brought out in him the will to fight, but also a weirdly honest side of him. Which fucking sucked, because that honesty just overpowered his pride and made him want to ask that idiotic favor.

-So… hm He tian…  
-Yes? -The boy had mostly just been staring at him while he washed the dishes.  
-C-can you - _“C'mon you need this just ask and be done with it”_ \- Help me study.  
-Oh?~  
-Your personality is awful, but at least you’re… moderately smart, so teach me.  
-Aaah little Mo who knew you’d ever ask me for something~  
-Fuck off if you don’t want to then-  
-No, no, I’ll help you, le- He tian’s phone vibrated, his expression slowly dropping as he read the message.  
-What?  
-Hm… I have to head out for a minute… Start studying and write down all your doubts in a separate paper, when I get back I’ll help you with it.  
-What the hell? So sudden!?  
-Sorry, It won’t take long.  
-Fine. But you better be back soon.  
-Yes honey~  
-Gross! Fuck off!

-

He tian wasn’t back soon, in fact, it had already been an hour and there was no sign of the wolf's nails scratching the concrete corridor outside the front entrance. Mo had sat on the living room floor, trying to focus on the books in front of the couch. But it was starting to get hard, even though the space was brightly illuminated -thanks to its giant windows- the apartment was cold and silent, lodged inside his warm hoodie the all-nighter he pulled was starting to catch up to him. Prya was in no better shape since daemons only slept when their owners did, her head kept bobbing up and down as she tried and failed to sleep.

-Ok, five minutes shouldn’t hurt, right?  
-Yeah, yeah, five minutes is good.  
-We won’t sleep long with the sun on our face.  
-The floor is so uncomfortable that it will wake us up.  
-Right.

Mo guan shan really only realized he fell asleep when a pair of hands woke him up. They pulled him up from the floor and pressed him against a warm body. The sluggishness from sleep only kept him quiet for a second.

-Fuck chicken dick let go of me.  
-The floor is too uncomfortable, let’s go to the bed.  
-Pervert, I’m not sleeping on a bed with you! - He tried - to no avail -to wiggle out of He tian’s hold.  
-Ok, then we’ll take a nap here.

Mo only realized then how easily He tian was moving him around. He took him off the floor without a single grunt, and now he sat Mo down on his knees and laid them both on the couch, locking his arms around his waist. He wasn’t short, or light in any way, and yet He tian manhandled him with barely any effort.

-Fuck!? What the fuck are you doing let go!

The boy only held his legs down with his own and pressed them together more tightly. Fuck he was way too tired to fight.

-Shh, look, It’s just a nap, see? It’s nice and warm like this.  
-I- 

“It really is warm…”

-You’re-

“And soft…”

-This-

“And being held like this does feel nice…” 

-... Just five minutes then you get your gross hands off of me.  
-I promise~  
-... the sun is in my face.  
-Hm~

He tian turned them both the other way around, facing the back of the white couch. Mo was asleep before he even finished moving.

-

The first thing he realized when he woke up was how warm he felt, not too much, but just enough to make him feel lazy and cozy in that giant empty room. The second thing was that he was being weighed down, his waist and legs heavy as He tian hugged him with his entire bod-  
Wait.  
He tian?  
_“Shit what the fuck, I just slept with he tian- No! Wait, I just fell_ asleep _with He tian.”_

The third thing he realized was that he and He tian were spooning.  
As Mo tried to decide between waking the other boy with an elbow punch or just a push off of the couch, he felt how comfortably He tian had set them. The boy's forehead was resting on the back of Mo’s head, close enough for his breaths to tickle his neck. Further down the taller boy held their chests close, his hand grabbing a tiny piece of the hoodie Mo guan shan was wearing. The crook of his elbow, the dip of his hip, even his legs - one holding down both of Mo’s - they were all perfectly fitted into Mo’s body. They had probably been there for a while, and still, there wasn’t a single bone probing out in an uncomfortable way, strangely they fit together. Beyond the slow realization that Mo had been hugging He tian’s arm, he was perfectly comfortable on the couch.

It felt nice… And It felt like too much.  
He allowed himself another minute of it, letting himself sink into He tian's warmth and touching his hand as lightly as he could. Then he went with the second option, and with all his strength he pushed He tian out the couch.

-Little Mo you really want to die, don’t you?  
-You’re way too close bastard.  
-Wake me up with a kiss next time.  
-There’s no next time! Chikendick! Pervert!

\- 

He wasn’t about to admit it, but He tian _was_ a good teacher. He wasn’t pretentious when Mo had a doubt, and apart from his teases of how the price for an answer was a kiss he’d explained everything perfectly. By the end of Mo’s last day at his house, he felt like he had learned more there than during the entire year at school. He even got an extra notebook with He tian’s notes and tricks to help his specific way of learning. Since Mo had refused to go anywhere outside with him, they spent most of the weekend watching Tv, talking, and studying, it was a lot nicer than he’d thought it’d be. They were laying down on the couch watching TV when Mo decided it was enough.

-Ok, this is good, I’m going now.  
-Little Mo stay a little longer~  
-I already said that I’m not wasting time with you. And this is the last day anyway, I don’t want to go home too late.

He tian stared at him for a moment. Then he got up, walked in front of him, and started stretching. Mo did his best to not stare at the small patch of belly that his shirt revealed.

-If you can get past me I’ll let you go.  
-... What?  
-Come on, if you don’t you’re staying here.  
-You’re so childish.

He tian looked at Prya and shrugged, at least he was self-aware. Mo really wished she stopped talking to him, since she spent every goddamn minute of that weekend either touching or being unnecessarily close to Yue, and every time she talked He tian _saw_ it.  
Mo’s 3am mind would’ve loved this opportunity, but his current _and sane_ mind would rather step on glass. 

-This is unfair we both know you’re… stronger - he forced that last word through clenched teeth.  
-Then I’ll start on the floor.  
-No. This is dumb and I’m not doing it.  
-Then I guess you’re staying.  
-Ugh! You’re such a bastard.

_“You wanna do this? Fine, fucker”_

Mo threw one of the pillows in his face, grabbed his backpack, and ran. He guessed taking He tian by surprise was his best shot, but the distraction didn’t last long. In a second the boy sprang up from the floor and pushed his back down, twisting them around on the ground. Mo fought the best he could, with his skin starting to burn with adrenaline he pushed He tian to the side and used his hip bone to propel himself forward. It didn't take long for him to retaliate, he jumped into Mo’s shoulder and rolled them both until he was on top of him, the redhead could feel the boy's fingers leaving bruises along his body. The thought that he was probably doing the same to He tian’s pale skin made him weirdly excited.  
Mo found himself in a similar position as the one from the first night, but this time they were both smiling, without the tension of life or death decisions both of them indulged in the adrenaline the “fight” gave. He tian loosened his grip and they started all over again, rolling and pushing and holding, they fought until their breaths became ragged.

The end was predictable, Mo got pinned down again. But this time He tian had needed both of his hands to hold his wrists against the floor, which gave Mo a rush of proud satisfaction. His heart was beating loudly against his chest, and they were both panting heavily.

-Got… you…  
-Ha… you can barely… breathe…  
-It’s because… you’re so… heavy…  
-Look… who’s talking… you’re on top… of me… you weigh like… a car…  
-Can’t be light… with all these… perfectly sculpted muscles… 

Mo laughed out loud for the first time in years. The adrenaline from the fight had left him light, and his mood was high in the clouds. And he knew He tian felt the same, he had a smile plastered in his face since the fight began, even now he had a cocky smirk. But Mo’s laugh must’ve surprised him, his eyes were blown, pupils almost completely blacking out his grey irises, and he just stared at Mo, it was a strange look. His hold got tighter for a second before he let go and pushed himself away.

-Go…

Mo took advantage of the moment and threw himself on top of He tian, copying the others' position the best he could, and with a victorious smile, he pushed him against the ground and sat on top of him.

-Mo gu-  
-Trying… to run away…?

It felt a little too good, the rush of excitement that surprising He tian like that gave him. But he couldn’t help it, they were both burning and shining with sweat, Mo’s heart was racing. He hadn't had this much fun in way too long. And when he sat down and felt He tian’s cock right underneath him, his own just jumped in interest.  
_“Wait. What.”_  
_“Fuck what the fuck did you just do??”_

Why the fuck had it just?? For him?? He found He tian handsome but was he really this far already? Not in his imagination but in real life?? The other boy didn’t seem to notice it, he just kept staring in that weird way.

-H-he t-

He should’ve seen it coming. It was obvious, it wasn’t like he had never said anything about it. But when He tian pushed himself up and kissed him he was surprised. It took the breath out of his lungs the same way a punch would. The kiss was rough and rushed, like Mo’s lips were water and He tian was trying to drown himself in it. Maybe in another life, he’d find it pleasurable but his head was spinning, with his body’s previous reaction still making a mess of his emotions the kiss was close to the last thing he wanted. Everything felt like too much.

-Fuck! Disgusting get the fuck off me!

He would regret it later, when he finally understood the look He tian gave him, but right now, right there, cruel words were all he knew.

-Touch me again and I’ll fucking kill you.

Mo guan shan did not wait for an answer. He just ran out of the apartment, Prya silently following him.

\- 

_Sorry, I won’t do it again, goodbye.

The message had come Monday morning during one of his classes. Mo’s face burned read every time he thought about it.  
_“Fucking drama queen”_  
He tian was wrong, but the whole “goodbye” was a bit much, Mo would let him sweat over it for another day before answering him. He also needed that time to process what had happened. Not just the kiss but the fact that his dick apparently was interested in He tian too.

He hadn’t expected to react that badly to a kiss from him, but it had come in the worst moment possible. His head had been so overwhelmed and panicked that all he could do was push away and run. He knew he wasn’t wrong to be mad at He tian for kissing him without asking, but maybe reacting by saying “disgusting” also wasn’t the right call. He should’ve just said “Don't kiss me” or “Don’t do that again”, honestly anything other than “Touch me again and I’ll fucking kill you.” would’ve been better. He wasn’t disgusted by the idea of kissing him, but that didn’t mean he was _attracted_ by it… or was he? His dick had clearly wanted _something_ , and he had already admitted that some part of him _was_ attracted to He tian.

But looking from afar, or even imagining it was different than actually doing it. He had wanted to fight He tian to touch and push him, and the rush of satisfaction that locking him in place with his thighs had given Mo was amazing. But fuck, Mo had barely any experience, he kissed some people before but he’d never felt that much from it. He had never wanted to touch someone _that much_ , and he had certainly never gotten turned on by someone like that.  
Mo guan shan needed time to figure everything out, so for now he’d stay away. He knew he’d accept the apology, but he still had to figure out what he wanted to say after that. He might even throw in an apology for his reaction…

-

He tian did not go to school that day

-

Nor the next.

-

Or the next…

-  
...

-

Mo knew it even before knocking on the door.  
He tian was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what that "something" is lmao, Mo's slowly understanding what sexual attraction is.  
> Overindulgent scenarios are my favorites. I'm not a fan of writing angst so don't worry about this conflict lol, I'll resolve it pretty quickly. Btw thanks everyone for the kudos and comments, I really love reading them.  
> E eu fiquei bem surpresa (amei eles tbm) pelos comentarios Br aqui, não estava esperando q esse fosse um fandom comum no brasil kkkkkkk

**Author's Note:**

> I'm betraying so many fandom favourites in this lol sorry, so I'll explain the choice of Daemons here. Mo's not a fox because I feel mo fits better in a feline family, foxes are very playful and active (they're in the canidae family) and I felt like a cat (especially a big one) would best fit Mo's aggressive exterior and how long it takes him to trust and act friendly and relaxed with someone. And I think someone in the dog family fits He Tian better than in the feline, with his polite and playful exterior and also his loyalty and strong nature, but since he can be very scary and is also very selective on who can boss him around/ gain his favours I felt like a "wild dog" (wolf) would be perfect. And lastly, She Li's a monkey because I think snakes get the bad rep that monkeys deserve, they're creepy and handsy so it fits him perfectly.


End file.
